Listen to this article.
By Anita Dangazele
- The Office of the IDAC Oversight Judge has confirmed it is handling formal complaints against IDAC head Andrea Johnson.
- Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi is reportedly preparing to ask President Ramaphosa to suspend Johnson pending an inquiry into her fitness to hold office.
The Office of the IDAC Oversight Judge has confirmed it is handling formal complaints against Advocate Andrea Johnson, head of South Africa’s anti-corruption directorate, as pressure mounts for her suspension.
The confirmation comes days after the oversight office was formally established under retired Justice Takalani Raulinga.
Spokesperson Tiyisela Max Mpuzana said the office does not ordinarily comment on complaints it receives, but given the “exceptional public interest” and the fact that the complaints’ existence was already public, it considered it appropriate to confirm them.
“The receipt of a complaint does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing, nor should it be interpreted as evidence of misconduct. Every complaint is considered independently, objectively, and in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness,” Mpuzana said.
The complaints follow weeks of testimony at the Madlanga Commission alleging that Johnson interfered in an assault investigation involving Crime Intelligence’s Feroz Khan, and that IDAC overstepped its mandate by pursuing charges against Crime Intelligence bosses Dumisani Khumalo and Nosipho Madondo over what witnesses described as an internal HR dispute.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi is reportedly preparing to formally recommend to President Cyril Ramaphosa that Johnson be suspended and face an inquiry into her fitness to hold office, following an urgent meeting with Johnson and National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi.
Johnson has reportedly indicated she is willing to resign from 1 August, subject to a three-month notice period, though the Presidency has not confirmed accepting any resignation.
Johnson’s scheduled Madlanga testimony was delayed after she was hospitalised, and the commission has since questioned the authenticity of the medical certificate she submitted.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has separately called for her suspension and for the return of the disbanded Scorpions crime-fighting unit.
The oversight office’s own credibility has also come under scrutiny, with the MK Party lodging a complaint over Raulinga’s ties to the ANC and Ramaphosa. Raulinga has defended his impartiality, pointing to his record on the Judicial Service Commission.
Pictured above: IDAC’s Andrea Johnson returns to the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday.
Image source: File
