South African MP Denies Role in Anti-Corruption Agency’s Contested Police Probe
Suspended legislator Fadiel Adams distanced himself Wednesday from decisions made by South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog in its investigation of senior police officials, insisting he merely flagged concerns and left the rest to investigators. Testifying before a judicial inquiry in Pretoria, Adams said his role ended once he submitted his complaint; what followed belonged entirely to the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).
"I submitted my complaint when requested. Decisions concerning the registration of a docket were made by investigators and not by me," Adams told the Madlanga Commission.
The Originating Complaint
Adams filed his case seeking to trigger scrutiny into alleged corruption, state capture, and institutional abuse within the police service and its intelligence arm. He later submitted Section 27 referrals—formal legal documents—against specific officials. That trail of paperwork, however, opened into what IDAC State Advocate Drushantha Ramsamy has characterized as a controversial pathway in the investigation.
Unresolved Contradictions
During a second day of questioning Thursday, Adams faced sharp contradictions in his narrative. He denied that a figure named Brown Mogotsi assisted him in opening criminal cases against Crime Intelligence leadership, instead claiming the late General Andre Lincoln was his sole contact and urged him to file charges. Lincoln's death last year means that account cannot be independently tested.
He also could not explain why he never presented documents related to those alleged criminal cases to Parliament, despite their apparent relevance to his public allegations. In earlier remarks, Adams denied unlawfully obtaining or sharing classified intelligence material, stating instead that documents had been slipped beneath his parliamentary office door.
The 'Hired Gun' Accusation
When pressed about KZN Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's characterization of him as a "hired gun" for criminal syndicates, Adams sidestepped. Instead, he told commissioners that his anti-crime work had made him a target, noting that investigators possessed a three- to four-minute recording of former gang leader Faik Moses allegedly discussing threats against him. Adams also alleged the recording implicated a Cape Town city council member in a plot.
He rejected the commissioner's framing entirely.
IDAC's Own Admissions
The inquiry has uncovered deeper complications within the anti-corruption agency itself. Matthew Sesoko, head of investigations at IDAC, acknowledged his involvement in "Project Diversion"—an operation targeting Crime Intelligence officers—after initially attempting to distance himself. Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the commission's chair, presented emails and meeting records forcing Sesoko to concede his participation throughout the process.
Sesoko attended a Project Diversion meeting on January 22, 2025, but claimed he could not recall discussions about any alleged plan to frame the suspended National Police Commissioner. The operation was steered by former IDAC chief Advocate Andrea Johnson, whose conduct—alongside suspended investigator Dylan Per—has drawn scrutiny from the state advocate himself.
The inquiry continues to probe whether institutional safeguards collapsed, enabling investigators to pursue tactics that may have exceeded their legal authority.
