Dereleen James Mocks ‘Madlanga Ward Patients’ After Andrea Johnson’s Hospitalisation, SA Joins In

• ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James shared her thoughts about Advocate Andrea Johnson's hospitalisation ahead of her Madlanga Commission appearance
• The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head was rushed to hospital and produced a medical certificate, resulting in her testimony having to be postponed
• South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the ActionSA member's post about Johnson, with many sharing their own hilarious takes on the situation

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

WESTERN CAPE - South Africans have joined ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James in taking aim at a growing pattern of illness among Madlanga Commission witnesses.

James posted a pointed message on X on Monday, 13 July 2026, wishing "Madlanga ward patients" a "speedy recovery" and noting that their recovery was of national significance.

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The post was widely understood as sarcasm, directed at the string of key witnesses who have produced medical certificates or been hospitalised ahead of their testimonies.

Advocate Andrea Johnson hospitalised ahead of appearance

James made the sarcastic post after Advocate Andrea Johnson was hospitalised ahead of her appearance before the Commission on 13 July 2026. Johnson, the head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), produced a medical certificate, but Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga described it as usual.

She follows Suleiman Carrim and Mike Van Wyk on the list of witnesses who recently produced medical certificates to postpone their testimony. Brown Mogotsi did the same before as well. Major General Feroz Khan's absence came under different circumstances after he was shot and hospitalised.

The accumulation of medical-related delays has drawn growing frustration from observers, with many South Africans suggesting the pattern is too consistent to be coincidental.

South Africans respond to James’ post

The post drew considerable engagement online, with users matching James's sarcastic tone.

@FactCheckZA wrote:

"We pray for them, they shall recover, shem."

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@kabelodick suggested:

"At this rate, the Madlanga Commission must just be moved to the hospital. We can't have this delay. Let them testify under oxygen masks; those mics will fit just fine."

@6L_V12 agreed:

"They are all suffering from The Mkhwanazi Bug. It caught them. That EFF clown will join them in hospital soon."

@Levigos concluded:

"The list is getting long. I think a special ICU should be prepared for them. Their health and fitness are very crucial for the Commission."

Justice Madlanga calls Mogotsi's medical certificate useless

Briefly News reported that Brown Mogotsi appeared briefly before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in March 2026 to discuss his recent failure to testify.

Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga commented on the North West businessman's medical certificate that he produced to the commission, calling it useless.

Mogotsi also explained what happened to him and why he could not testify before, promising that it would never happen again.

Source: Briefly News