Adams apologises after Madlanga Commission shows he received emails he said he could not access

Suspended MP Fadiel Adams apologised to the Madlanga Commission after the inquiry produced correspondence that contradicted his earlier claim that he could not access commission emails because his parliamentary laptop had not been working.

What the commission presented

According to IOL, the commission produced records showing correspondence between the inquiry and Adams. Records showed an email was sent to Adams on October 3, 2025 and that he responded on October 14, evidence the commission said directly challenged Adams’s account that he had only become aware of the correspondence about three months earlier.

Adams’s earlier account and Parliament’s response

According to IOL, Adams had told the commission that his Parliament-issued laptop had not functioned for approximately 18 months, which he said made it impossible for him to respond to the commission’s emails. Parliament disputed his version, saying it had no record of the reported malfunction and that MPs are provided with multiple devices to perform their duties.

Admission and apology

Faced with the documentary trail, Adams admitted that he had not been truthful when giving his earlier account.

“I apologise chair and to the commission,” Adams said, accepting responsibility for the confusion surrounding the emails and the commission’s Rule 3 notice.

Tense exchange with the chair

According to IOL, during the confrontation Adams addressed the commission chair directly, saying:

“Commissioner [Justice Mbuyiseli] Madlanga, apart from my father, you are the only man that has given me a beating,”

after the chair had confronted him with the correspondence.

Credibility under scrutiny

According to IOL, the exchange has placed Adams’s credibility firmly under the spotlight before he has begun giving substantive evidence to the commission.

What happens next

According to IOL, the commission has yet to hear the full testimony that brought Adams before the inquiry.