'I Was Wrong': Andrea Johnson Apologises to Brigadier Dineo Mokwele at Madlanga Commission

• IDAC head Andrea Johnson apologised to Brigadier Dineo Mokwele at the Madlanga Commission on 23 July after admitting her claims about the officer were wrong
• Commissioners questioned how IDAC conducted its investigation into senior Crime Intelligence officials, raising concerns about the scope of its work
• The commission heard that IDAC may have relied too heavily on a single MP's affidavit to widen the investigation

SOUTH AFRICA -The head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, Andrea Johnson, was forced into a public apology at the Madlanga Commission on Thursday, 23 July, after it emerged that statements she had made about a senior Crime Intelligence officer were factually incorrect.

Johnson apologised directly to Brigadier Dineo Mokwele after admitting she had claimed the officer was unqualified for her position without actually verifying her credentials.

Johnson admits she had the wrong information

Commissioner Sandile Khumalo pressed Johnson on why she had told the commission that Mokwele did not meet the requirements for her role when she had never checked the documentation herself.

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Johnson acknowledged that she had no knowledge of Mokwele's full qualifications. She had not reviewed the brigadier's job application, academic records, or documents confirming that Mokwele was pursuing a Master of Business Administration. Her statements, she admitted, came entirely from her investigation team and turned out to be wrong.

Khumalo then examined the official job requirements and found that Mokwele's qualifications and experience surpassed what the position demanded. He said IDAC had created the impression that Crime Intelligence hired someone unsuitable, when the evidence showed the opposite. Johnson withdrew her earlier comments and apologised to Mokwele.

Commission raises questions about IDAC's conduct

Beyond the apology, commissioners raised deeper concerns about how IDAC approached its investigation into Crime Intelligence in the first place.

Evidence leader Advocate Mahlape Sello argued that IDAC may have overstepped its authority during the preliminary phase. According to Sello, IDAC's mandate in June 2025 was limited to determining whether sufficient grounds existed to open a full investigation, not to conduct one outright.

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Johnson pushed back, arguing that investigators are legally permitted to collect documents, interview witnesses and gather evidence before making that determination.

The commissioners were not persuaded. Commissioner Sesi Baloyi suggested that IDAC may have leaned too heavily on an affidavit submitted by Member of Parliament Fadiel Adams, using it as a basis to broaden the investigation well beyond its original scope.

See video of the testimony here:

Johnson facing possible perjury charge

Briefly News reported that Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Andrea Johnson is facing a potential perjury charge after contradictions emerged between statements she made before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee and those she gave at the Madlanga Commission. During cross-examination by evidence leader Advocate Sello on 23 July 2024, Johnson admitted that her earlier statement to the Ad Hoc Committee, in which she claimed she had never encountered MP Fadiel Adams beyond seeing him on television and had not received a report from him directly, conflicted with what she testified at the commission.

Source: Briefly News