Adams evades question over why Mkhwanazi called him a ‘hired gun’ for cartels | Madlanga Commission

South Africa - Pretoria - 19 August 2026 - Suspended MP Fadiel Adams, appears before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

Suspended MP Fadiel Adams has evaded the question of why the KZN Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, labelled him a “hired gun” for the cartels.

Instead, Adams told the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday that his efforts to fight crime had made him a target of criminals, saying he had reported alleged threats and that investigators had obtained evidence that could be significant.

Adams said investigators had a three- to four-minute recording involving former gang boss Faik Moses, which he claimed supported his allegations about threats against him.

He further alleged that the information pointed to a plot in which Cape Town DA councillor JP Smith was implicated.

“They have got a three-minute or four-minute recording of Moses speaking to me, not denying that this is what happened,” Adams told the commission.

Adams rejected Mkhwanazi’s description of him and members of the National Crime Consortium (NCC) as “hired guns” working for criminal cartels.

He argued that the criminal complaints he and other National Coloured Congress (NCC) members had lodged were intended to expose alleged fraud and corruption and recover money allegedly stolen from state coffers.

The KZN commissioner has accused Adams of supplying unverified criminal complaints that were allegedly used by the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) to target senior South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership.

Mkhwanazi has described the alleged campaign as “State Capture 2.0”, claiming it was aimed at weakening the police and disrupting key law-enforcement operations.

He also alleged that Adams accessed and distributed classified Crime Intelligence documents without the necessary security clearance, arguing that the information was subsequently used to open criminal cases against senior police officials.

According to Mkhwanazi, Adams’ affidavit and leaked intelligence were used by IDAC to obtain subpoenas and accelerate investigations.

The fallout has reached the upper ranks of the SAPS, with actions involving Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola.

Adams maintains that his complaints were driven by attempts to expose alleged corruption, while Mkhwanazi contends they formed part of a broader effort to destabilise the police.