Madlanga Commission update

Explosive testimony at the Madlanga Commission has placed the head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, advocate Andrea Johnson, at the center of a major controversy.

Recent hearings turned a sharp focus onto the directorate as whistleblowers and investigators detailed stunning allegations of institutional misconduct.

A Crime Intelligence officer, testifying in camera as Witness O, claimed that in July 2018, Johnson funnelled highly confidential case files to a suspect. The recipient was allegedly Major-General Feroz Khan, then deputy head of Operational Crime Intelligence.

According to the testimony, the leak occurred before Khan had even submitted his warning statement to investigators.

Witness O told the commission that Khan handed her his mobile phone during a meeting and asked her to provide her email address to a woman named Andrea. The caller instructed her to print the upcoming email for Khan and immediately delete the message.

Suspicious of the request, the whistleblower preserved the evidence. The email contained images of a sworn assault complaint and a medical report filed against Khan by Brigadier Leonora Phetlhe.

Retired Hawks investigator Colonel Kobus Roelofse strongly condemned the alleged leak during his testimony. He stated that providing an active police docket to a suspect compromises an investigation entirely. He explained that such sensitive information allows a suspect to tailor their version of events and potentially influence witnesses before they are interviewed.

The commission also heard that Johnson later summoned Roelofse to her office after learning about the whistleblower complaint. Roelofse expressed concern over how Johnson discovered the investigation, suggesting the information may have come from National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi. Johnson has firmly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

The scandal breaks at a fragile time for the anti-corruption unit. Institutional friction has peaked following recent high-profile arrest attempts, sparking talk of an ongoing turf war between the police and independent directorates.

As public scrutiny intensifies, Justice Minister Kubayi announced the appointment of retired Judge Takalani Joseph Raulinga as the inaugural ombud for the directorate to independently investigate abuse of power and improper conduct.