Madlanga Commission | IDAC’s probes into Crime Intelligence and PKTT officials under scrutiny

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry says it appears as though the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) was determined to pursue Crime Intelligence (CI) and Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) officials.

This comes after the commission heard that former IDAC head, Senior Advocate Andrea Johnson, authorised a string of investigations against the officials without sufficient merit.

Johnson, whose resignation from the directorate was accepted by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, responded to questions at the commission about the investigations on Tuesday.

The commission suggested that while some of the investigations appear to fall within IDAC’s mandate, several do not, raising questions about their true motive.

Johnson, who previously rejected claims that IDAC’s decision to investigate the officials was politically motivated, now says she signed off on the investigations without verifying their authenticity.

Johnson continued to shift responsibility to the directorate’s investigators, saying they should know why the cases were being investigated.

Commissioner, Sesi Baloyi, rejected Johnson’s response, arguing that the buck stopped with her as head of IDAC and that she should first have satisfied herself that there was a valid basis for the investigations against Crime Intelligence and PKTT officials.

The commission also heard that IDAC opened six criminal cases, allegedly referred to it by National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader and member of Parliament (MP), Fadiel Adams, involving the officials.

One of the cases relates to Adams’s suspicion that funds were unlawfully taken from the Secret Service Fund and given to former Police Minister Bheki Cele.

Cele was also accused of appointing current Crime Intelligence boss, Dumisani Khumalo, as the division’s head without an interview process, despite Khumalo allegedly lacking experience as a senior manager in the division.

When questioned about how the second matter fell within IDAC’s mandate, Johnson said it did not, adding that she would first need to consult IDAC as she no longer holds her official duties.

The commission heard that the case relating to Cele allegedly benefiting from the Secret Service Fund is the only matter IDAC would typically be mandated to investigate.

When Commissioner, Sesi Baloyi, asked whether any statements or further steps had been taken in that matter, Johnson said she was unsure, claiming that she never received a briefing on the case.

The commission further questioned Johnson over her decision to authorise summonses for PKTT officials while she led IDAC.

She testified that no alarm bells rang for her when IDAC decided to investigate the officials, saying investigators were responsible for thoroughly dealing with the matter.

This was despite her authorising the investigation by signing documents allowing the probe to proceed.

When the PKTT was disbanded on 31 December 2024, numerous electronic and print articles, as well as social media posts, emerged in response to the controversial move.

Johnson, who acknowledged that she would have been aware of the discussion surrounding the PKTT as she regularly follows media reports. However, she told the commission that she was not aware that the task team’s disbandment had sparked nationwide controversy when she authorised the summonses.

Since the beginning of January 2025, suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s decision to disband the PKTT has been a subject of nationwide controversy, around the same time that IDAC, under Johnson’s authority, decided to issue summonses to members of the task team.

Johnson insists that when she authorised the summonses, she understood the allegations to be that PKTT members had been appointed and promoted in their respective positions through deviations from normal processes.

The commission also noted that there is no charge sheet attached to IDAC’s J51 warrant of arrest for Khumalo and Major-General, Nozipho Madondo.

Commissioner, Sesi Baloyi, further noted what appears to be a mismatch in the signatures on the supplementary affidavit attached to the case, suggesting that Adams’s signature may have been forged. The affidavit was commissioned by IDAC chief investigator, Dylan Perumel.

The supplementary affidavit suggests that Madondo failed to secure top security clearance for years, allegedly based on information provided by Adams.

However, the original affidavit only suggests that Madondo may have been unlawfully transferred to the Crime Intelligence headquarters from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), allegedly with the assistance of Khumalo.

Johnson battled to respond to commission evidence leader, Advocate Mahlaphe Sello’s, question about what legal consequences should follow if any official is found to have misrepresented themselves in the matter.

Johnson says she was only briefed on Madondo’s alleged lateral transfer from KZN, distancing herself from allegations that Madondo failed to secure top security clearance for several years.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao