‘No band‑aid can fix Idac’ DA’s Breytenbach urges disbandment and a Chapter 9 anti‑corruption body

‘No band‑aid big enough’

“There is no band‑aid big enough to fix it; it must be disbanded.” Those were Breytenbach’s words as she argued that Idac’s credibility has been ‘fatally tainted’ and that attempts to reform the directorate will not suffice.

She said the DA wants a new, independent anti‑corruption commission established outside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), created by its own statute as a Chapter 9 institution to ensure true independence and protection from easy dissolution.

Details of the proposed body

Breytenbach said a new organisation would provide security of tenure, control over its own budget and the ability to pursue corruption, related wealth and organised crime without fear or favour. She said the NPA is currently not managing to perform that role.

“We want something completely new, and we’ve been advocating for some time for an independent, truly independent anti‑corruption commission. So, established outside of the National Prosecuting Authority, established by its own statute, as a Chapter 9 institution, so that it has true independence and that it cannot be dissolved unless it’s by a very heightened majority in parliament, which no party will ever see again.”

Idac, the Madlanga commission and wider institutional concerns

The call to disband Idac follows the dramatic resignation of its head, Advocate Andrea Johnson, and revelations at the Madlanga Commission. The source reports Johnson testified before the Madlanga commission at the Brigette Mabandla Judicial College in Pretoria on 28 July 2026.

Breytenbach said the crisis at Idac is part of a broader pattern of institutional decay affecting the NPA, the Hawks, Crime Intelligence and other crime‑fighting bodies. She described the revelations at the commission including allegations of improper relationships and compromised investigations as a watershed moment that proves reforms cannot restore public trust.

“It’s so beyond repair. They’ve taken what is rotting in the National Prosecuting Authority, they’ve transferred it to Idac, and the rot continues. You cannot fix it. There is no band‑aid big enough to fix it. It must be disbanded, and we must now set up a truly independent anti‑corruption body that will have all of the capacity it needs to go after corruption in the true sense.”

Other political moves

The MK party has also called for Idac to be abolished and submitted the Idac Abolition Bill, 2026 to parliament’s Legislative Drafting and Legal Services Office as a Private Member’s Bill.

The MK party said it will be opening a case against Andrea Johnson on Monday, 3 August 2026.

What comes next

Breytenbach and the DA are pushing for legislative change to create a constitutionally established, Chapter 9 anti‑corruption commission with secure tenure, protected funding and robust parliamentary oversight. They argue such a body is the only route to restore independence and public confidence in South Africa’s anti‑corruption fight.