Advocates group says Madlanga commissioner Sandile Khumalo the target of escalating threats

Advocates for Transformation (AFT) says advocate and Madlanga Commission member Sandile Khumalo has been the focus of an escalating campaign of threats and intimidation that has also targeted AFT’s national chairperson and members of his family and friends.

What AFT reported

In a statement issued on Tuesday, AFT said the threats have come via multiple cellphone numbers and have grown increasingly aggressive, including explicit threats of sexual violence. The organisation said the messages repeatedly mention both Khumalo and advocate Myron Dewrance SC, invoke AFT by name and sometimes claim knowledge of the locations, workplaces and movements of those being targeted. AFT said all available evidence has been preserved.

Possible link to past disciplinary proceedings

AFT said its preliminary enquiries suggest the underlying grievance may be connected to disciplinary proceedings involving a member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA) who had been charged with serious professional misconduct. The organisation said Khumalo chaired the JSA’s Professional Committee at the time and served on the JSA Bar Council after being nominated by AFT.

The organisation said the threatening communications repeatedly blame Khumalo for what occurred during those proceedings and instruct Dewrance and members of his family to “blame Sandile”, while also making repeated references to AFT, its members and its leadership.

Broader concerns and response

AFT framed the matter as extending beyond an individual dispute, saying it reflects a wider pattern of intimidation against prosecutors, lawyers, investigators and other justice officials in South Africa and warning that attacks on those who administer justice undermine the rule of law. The organisation called for stronger protection for justice officials and said threats and intimidation must be confronted before they escalate into assassinations.

AFT stressed its enquiries are preliminary and said it is not accusing the advocate who was the subject of the disciplinary proceedings, the JSA or any identified individual of responsibility for the threats.

“It is a matter for further investigation,” the statement said.

Next steps and limitations on comment

The organisation said it would pursue every lawful avenue to protect those affected and to ensure those responsible are identified and held accountable. AFT declined to comment further on operational or investigative aspects of the matter, saying this was to protect those involved and to preserve the integrity of any ongoing investigations.