Madlanga Commission hears that IDAC was used to target senior SAPS leaders, IOL reports

According to IOL, the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard evidence suggesting the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) was used to target senior leaders in the South African Police Service (SAPS) through unexplained probes, arrests and court action.

Allegations of overreach into SAPS recruitment

According to IOL, commissioners examined claims that IDAC, led by Advocate Andrea Johnson, overstepped its anti-corruption mandate by intervening in SAPS recruitment processes. The commission heard that IDAC challenged SAPS recruitment procedures in court despite the police’s own legal services concluding the appointments complied with the law.

Arrests and charges against senior officers

According to IOL, IDAC secured arrest warrants for Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, Major-General Nosipho Madondo and other senior officers over the appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele to a civilian post. The prosecutions and warrants followed a complaint from the National Coloured Congress (NCC) and Member of Parliament Fadiel Adams, IOL reported.

Investigators’ admissions under questioning

According to IOL, during testimony IDAC senior investigator Colonel Brian Padayachee acknowledged that Mokwele had been arrested and charged on the basis of what investigators believed she intended to do, rather than for an offence that had already been committed. Padayachee also told the commission he did not know how Section 27 complaints are initially referred to IDAC, saying those decisions are made by management before investigators receive a case.

Institutional fallout and calls for answers

According to IOL, the dispute provoked a public reaction from within law enforcement. KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi publicly accused IDAC of political interference and abusing its powers. IOL also reported that IDAC suspended the arrest warrants against Khumalo and his co-accused without completing the normal legal process, prompting calls for accountability from oversight bodies and Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police.

Allegations of unlawful surveillance and denials

According to IOL, businessman Thoshan Panday alleged IDAC investigators unlawfully intercepted his communications and manipulated surveillance authorisations, and further claimed former national police commissioner Bheki Cele had been improperly monitored. Senior IDAC officials rejected those allegations, describing them as attempts to undermine corruption investigations, IOL reported.

Government offices not informed of planned arrests

According to IOL, both the acting Police Minister and the Presidency said they had not been informed in advance of the planned arrests of senior SAPS commanders. IOL reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa warned the commission that conflict between state security agencies damages public confidence and weakens the fight against organised crime.

Oversight and complaints against IDAC leadership

According to IOL, retired Judge Takalani Joseph Raulinga, the newly appointed IDAC oversight judge, confirmed numerous complaints had been lodged against Advocate Andrea Johnson. Raulinga said every complaint would be investigated fairly and independently.

“No one person has the power to collapse a big institution such as IDAC. I believe there will be processes which will be followed,” Raulinga said, according to IOL.

The Madlanga Commission continues to hear testimony on IDAC’s conduct and oversight, and the matters raised at the hearings have prompted scrutiny of the directorate’s powers and procedures, according to IOL.