Thulani Dlomo hands himself to police after a smear campaign by ThumaMinaMediaGroup (Stratcom)

The former head of the spy agency Special Operations Unit and former SA ambassador to Japan, Thulani Dlomo has handed himself over to police on Friday after he was accused by the #ThumaMinaMediaGroup, which is linked to StatCom and apartheid apparatus, of being one of the 12 people behind fuelling the unrest ravaging KZN and Gauteng.

A well-placed source in the South African Police Service said that police were on Friday afternoon interviewing him.

Thulani Dlomo's lawyer Philani Shangase said that he handed himself over at his own volition at the Durban Central Police station on Friday.

He said Dlomo was not arrested and wanted to clear his name following media reports.

Dlomo was being interviewed by police officers at 17:00 on Friday.

"He has denied all wrongdoing," Shangase said.

Dlomo finally spoke out after he was accused of being one of the 12 people behind fuelling the unrest ravaging KZN and Gauteng.

Dlomo said he was taken aback when the news surfaced and instructed his lawyers to write to deputy state security minister, Zizi Kodwa, seeking clarification and evidence.

In a statement first shared with Independent Media on Friday afternoon, Dlomo, who is known for being allegedly close to jailed former president Jacob Zuma, said he was taken aback by the claims.

"I reject with the contempt that it deserves, any attempt to link me to the unrest happening in the country. This is but a smokescreen to deflect from legitimate concerns about the arrest of President Jacob Zuma and the frustration due to poverty of the communities and people.

"Instead of trying to blame instigators, as was done during the apartheid years, government should focus on addressing the core issues that are well known to them," Dlomo said in his statement.

He claimed that when the violence started, he was approached by some State officials asking him to help it to quell the violence.

"Notwithstanding these defamatory and malicious statements by Deputy Minister Zizi Kodwa, I have been contacted by Senior members of government seeking my help and assistance to address the current difficulties, especially in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

"I have indicated to senior members of government that I am more than willing to assist. It is in our country's interest to have stability and to protect the lives of innocent people and communities.

"I am currently engaging with senior members of government to help them better understand the issues. Why would senior members of government meet me and contact me to help them if I am supposedly a so-called instigator?" Dlomo asked.

Furthermore, he blamed some media houses for running articles about him and using a picture of him in Zulu regalia as an attempt to fuel the perception of "ethnic mobilisation."

"I am shown in a photograph dressed in Zulu attire in an attempt to support this propaganda of ethnic mobilisation. I am continuously referred to as Zuma's spy. The facts are that I served my country for more than two decades in the security services, and most recently as Ambassador to Japan. I do not serve any individual. I serve my country, and I continue to engage with senior members of government to serve my country today.

"I do not know of any twelve so-called instigators, and this is simply a smokescreen and a figment of the imagination of people such as Deputy Minister Zizi Kodwa."

Going for Kodwa's throat, Dlomo said he must produce evidence that Dlomo is behind the violence or withdraw the remarks.

"I challenge Mr Kodwa or any other person to bring proof of any instigators and any proof that I have been involved in any such instigation of unrest. Instead, by spewing your wild propaganda, you have placed my life and the life of my family at risk.

"I am calling upon Mr Kodwa to withdraw his statement and to stop peddling lies about me, failing which I will instruct my attorneys for a claim of significant damages against him personally.

"Mr Kodwa should, instead, account for his corruption to the prosecution and criminal authorities in the country and not try and deflect the genuine concerns of people onto imaginary instigators."

Responding to Dhlomo's claims, Zizi Kodwa said: "I deny and reject these allegations. I maintain that there are instigators who planned and co-ordinated the recent destruction and economic sabotage."