Adams denies minister influence at Madlanga Commission

Suspended National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, denying that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu influenced his decision to open fraud and corruption cases against senior South African Police Service Crime Intelligence officials in late 2024. Adams insisted he acted on classified information found under his office door and sought the minister's help only after he was told the cases had been intercepted.

Adams told the commission that in the final week of October 2024, he discovered classified documents on the floor of his Cape Town parliamentary office. Using this information, he opened three cases on October 29, 2024, at a Western Cape police station, alleging that Crime Intelligence funds were misused and that several officials, including Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo, lacked required security clearances. Two days later, he traveled to Johannesburg and opened the same allegations at Orlando Police Station.

On November 1, 2024, Adams emailed Minister Mchunu, stating he had been told the Western Cape dockets were "intercepted" and asked the minister to intervene to ensure the...