National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams has hit back at allegations that he unlawfully obtained and mishandled SA Police Service (SAPS) classified information.
The claims were made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
During a media briefing on July 6 last year, Mkhwanazi alleged politicians, including Adams, and elements of the criminal justice system have been “captured” by criminal cartels.
Mkhwanazi claimed Adams obtained sensitive crime intelligence intended only for vetted members of the joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI), of which Adams is not a member. He alleged Adams acted “recklessly” by using the information to file criminal charges.
Appearing before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system on Wednesday, Adams provided his account of events. He told the committee an envelope containing the classified documents was slipped under his office door.
“I opened the envelope and inside there appeared to be evidence of criminality implicating senior officials within the SAPS,” Adams said.
A very calculated and unlawful plan was concocted to suppress my complaint. Had I not decided to report my complaint to the Idac, I fear nothing would have come of it
— Fadiel Adams, NCC leader
He said he was initially unsure how to proceed as the JSCI had not yet been established for the current term. He claimed on the advice of a general named Andre Lincoln he decided to open a case at a police station.
“What I decided to do was lay criminal charges,” he said.
On October 30 2024, the day after the documents appeared, Adams went to the Grand Central police station in Cape Town to lay charges against:
- crime intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo;
- his deputy Maj-Gen Nosipho Madondo; and
- CFO for crime intelligence Maj-Gen Philani Lushaba.
Adams said he withheld the documents from the initial police report, fearing they would be compromised. After hearing rumors the provincial office intended to “cover up” the case, Adams filed the same charges in Gauteng. He also contacted suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu to express his fears the dockets might disappear, requesting that an independent body investigate the conduct of the SAPS members.
Adams subsequently met with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac).
“A very calculated and unlawful plan was concocted to suppress my complaint,” Adams alleged. “Had I not decided to report my complaint to the Idac, I fear nothing would have come of it.”
When asked why he bypassed standard SAPS channels, Adams said: “I don’t trust the SAPS. I have no faith in them. You’re asking the wolf to investigate the wolf. It doesn’t make sense.”
On June 26 2025, Idac arrested Khumalo, Lushaba, Madondo and three others on charges of fraud and corruption. Though Khumalo and Madondo were later granted bail and returned to their duties, Adams felt the arrests proved his point.
“I felt relieved and vindicated,” Adams said. “The clean-up of crime intelligence could begin. Little did I know what was to come.”
When questioned on whether he verified the documents before acting, Adams said he is not an investigator and lacked the means to validate the intelligence. He said of the four documents received, only one was explicitly marked as “classified”.
Despite the backlash and threat of legal repercussions for handling state secrets, Adams remained defiant: “I did the right thing. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”
TimesLIVE
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