Idac witness accuses Andrea Johnson of ignoring procedures and fostering a hostile workplace

New testimony at the Madlanga Commission on 30 July 2026 brought fresh accusations of internal dysfunction at the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac). State advocate Drushantha Ramsamy told the commission that her former boss, Andrea Johnson, disregarded Idac’s operating procedures and cultivated a tense working environment.

Who spoke and where

Ramsamy appeared before the commission at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria on Thursday, 30 July 2026. Her testimony followed six days of evidence given by Johnson the previous day.

Dispute over the Mokwele matter and Project Diversion

Ramsamy challenged Johnson’s account of the Mokwele investigation, saying:

“Advocate Johnson told many untruths about me and my involvement in what is known as the Mokwele case. She did not disclose that I raised concerns from the onset and repeatedly thereafter, which concerns I dealt with in detail.”

She said she joined Idac in March 2023 when it was still the Investigating Directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority and that she questioned a cluster of Crime Intelligence investigations referred to as Project Diversion, a label Ramsamy attributed to Johnson. Ramsamy said:

“I do not know why she chose this name other than what is stated in her WhatsApp message.”

Ramsamy told the commission:

“Let me make it clear that Advocate Johnson was in charge of Project Diversion and, in particular, the Mokwele matter from the outset.”

Alleged disregard for standard procedures

A central point in Ramsamy’s statement was that Idac’s standard operating procedures are widely disseminated and form the foundation of the unit’s work. She said these procedures are re-distributed when new staff arrive and described them as the “Bible of how a structure of our nature is supposed to work.”

On Johnson’s approach, Ramsamy said:

“Advocate Johnson would deviate constantly. It was a situation where we had this, but she would have her own way of doing things with different groups, different investigations and different structures.”

Workplace pressure and intimidation allegations

Ramsamy depicted a strained working environment at Idac, saying Johnson frequently changed decisions and earned the nickname “flip-flop knee-jerk” among staff. She accused Johnson of altering decisions after consulting chief investigator Dylan Perumal:

“No matter how you explained it to her or how the decision was made in a rational manner, it would then change according to what Mr Perumal wanted.”

She told commissioners that staff who challenged Johnson faced intimidation, that employees feared Johnson’s “wrath”, and that many staff members were now undergoing counselling because of workplace pressures. Ramsamy said she was internally investigated and that she was made redundant for a period in 2023 because she objected to Mr Perumal and Advocate Johnson.

Context of testimony

Johnson’s earlier testimony covered a series of high-profile investigations, including probes linked to Crime Intelligence and the appointment of former BMW employee Dineo Mokwele to a brigadier post, which were triggered by a Section 27 referral submitted by MP Fadiel Adams in November 2024.

Ramsamy also said she and lead investigator Mantsha Rapetshu questioned Project Diversion from the start and that she had been chosen to join the investigative team because of her prior experience handling a high-profile Section 27 referral.

The Madlanga Commission continues to hear testimony related to these matters.