MADLANGA COMMISSION: Fadiel Adams’ explosive admission on the mystery Idac affidavit, implicating Andrea Johnson

Idac used an affidavit from National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams to charge top Crime Intelligence members, yet two investigators didn’t know where it came from. On Friday, Adams explained what happened.

National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams’ three-day stint before the Madlanga Commission ended explosively when the inquiry heard that he gave Investigating Directorate of Corruption (Idac) investigators four affidavits on 6 January 2025, but later that night, chief investigator Dylan Perumal went alone to Adams’ home and obtained a separate affidavit.

The late-night affidavit became a bone of contention before the Commission on Friday, 21 August. Both Drushantha Ramsamy, an Idac state prosecutor, and Robert Raphesu, a senior Idac inspector, testified that the fifth affidavit subsequently presented to the Commission was not among the affidavits the team had commissioned from Adams on 6 January.

The significance of Adams’ allegation lies not simply in the existence of a fifth affidavit, but in who allegedly wanted it, why it was obtained hours after four other affidavits had already been taken, and whether the subsequent version helped shape the direction of the Idac investigation.

While testifying before the Commission, Former Idac head Andrea Johnson accepted that the evidence of Ramsamy and Raphesu – that only four supplementary statements were taken in their presence and that the additional A1 affidavit was not among them – created a serious procedural contradiction that Perumal would have to explain.

Johnson claimed she didn’t know where the extra affidavit came from. Adams, however, implicated her in the commissioning of the extra affidavit, which she had denied having knowledge of during her testimony.

Adams’ initial complaint to the police and then Idac made allegations against three people, but the investigation later expanded to include a substantially wider group of officials and matters, with seven Crime Intelligence members, including top cop Dumisani Khumalo, who heads the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), eventually charged for the alleged wrongful hiring of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele.

The NPA officially withdrew the charges against Khumalo and his co-accused on Friday.

Following the evidence by Idac members, President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed to Johnson vacating her post with immediate effect, requesting that her three-month notice period be waived.

On Friday, Adams described Perumal’s late-night visit to his home. He told the Commission that Perumal said he had been instructed by “the madam” to obtain another affidavit and split the case into three parts. He further claimed that Perumal was on the phone with someone whose voice he recognised as Johnson’s.

“Perumal told me that the madam wants another affidavit and she wanted to split the case into three parts.