Former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Andrea Johnson has been accused at the Madlanga commission of orchestrating attempts to have National Police Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola charged, including allegedly keeping him uninformed about sensitive investigations to induce misleading testimony in Parliament, according to statements heard during testimony on 6 August 2026.

Testimony Accuses Idac Of Entrapment Attempts

State advocate Drushantha Ramsamy testified before commission chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga that Johnson specifically instructed her team not to inform Gen Masemola of Idac’s investigations into the KwaZulu-Natal political killings team and police crime intelligence, intending “to let him lie” during a forthcoming parliamentary portfolio committee meeting. Ramsamy stated, “It looked and became evident that there was a line of march and that line of march was to get generals Khumalo and Masemola in an accused box.”

Ramsamy further alleged Idac’s leadership orchestrated attacks on Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo as part of a campaign to have them criminally charged. These claims remain untested and are based on witness testimony before the commission.

Procedural Irregularities And Commission Criticism

The commission also heard that Idac’s investigation into the R228 million police tender awarded to Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala commenced without a proper affidavit. This raised concerns about possible procedural irregularities in a high-value police tender probe, as alleged by Ramsamy in her evidence before the commission.

Johnson, who led Idac at the time, admitted to the commission on 22 July 2026 that she made an “honest mistake” regarding the Directorate’s mandate in a corruption investigation involving Lt-Gen Khumalo. Earlier, on 13 July, Johnson failed to appear at the commission for medical reasons, submitting a sick note described by Justice Madlanga as “useless.” The Madlanga commission continues its inquiry into alleged criminality and political interference within South Africa’s justice system, with further testimony and potential disciplinary action pending.