PRETORIA - Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson stands accused of defeating the ends of justice.
Investigators testifying before the Madlanga Commission have also accused her of leaking documents to Major-General Feroz Khan. At Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, she denied sitting on the panel that appointed her husband, Junaid Johnson.
READ: Madlanga Commission to scrutinise Andrea Johnson sick note
On Tuesday, she finally appeared before the Commission to answer allegations against her and her office. Johnson was initially due to appear on Monday, 13 July. However, she allegedly fell ill and was rushed to hospital, where she was subsequently booked off until Wednesday, 15 July.
Her initial medical certificate came under scrutiny, as she joined several others, including Khan, businessman Suliman Carrim and Medicare24’s Mike van Wyk, who cited illness as the reason for not testifying.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that Johnson returned to work on Friday, making her available to appear before the Commission and respond to allegations against her and IDAC.
Who is Andrea Johnson and how did she get here?
Johnson matriculated from Roseville Secondary School in Umzinto on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast. She enrolled at the University of Durban-Westville — now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal — where she obtained a B Juris degree in 1993 and an LLB degree in 1995.
She began her career in 1996 as a prosecutor at the Alberton Magistrate’s Court before working her way up through the ranks of the NPA.
In 2004, she was appointed Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions at the Directorate of Special Operations, better known as the Scorpions, where she served until the unit was disbanded in 2009.
In 2022, she succeeded Advocate Hermione Cronje as head of the Investigating Directorate (ID).
READ: A year later: From one explosive press briefing to a national inquiry
What is IDAC?
IDAC is a unit within the NPA that investigates high-level corruption. It was established in response to the recommendations of the Zondo Commission into State Capture.
The unit was created to convert the Commission’s findings into criminal investigations and prosecutions. Its work came under intense scrutiny following the arrest of Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo in June 2025.
Following the arrest, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held a press briefing in which he alleged deliberate obstruction of the justice system by several entities, including senior officials within the criminal justice system.
During his testimony, Mkhwanazi alleged interference in Crime Intelligence investigations, raising questions about Khumalo’s arrest and appointments within the unit.
Parliament also established an Ad Hoc Committee to examine Mkhwanazi’s allegations. Johnson appeared before the committee to defend her office’s actions.
She said several high-profile individuals had been implicated, adding that IDAC would pursue investigations and prosecutions wherever sufficient evidence existed.
READ: IDAC refuses to name suspects implicated in Matlala's SAPS tenders
Mkhwanazi also alleged that IDAC had been weaponised by internal factions. He claimed there had been interference in ongoing investigations aimed at protecting certain businesspeople, politicians and criminal cartels.
Padayachee testimony
Senior IDAC investigator Brian Padayachee testified after Johnson failed to appear before the Commission.
He said Khumalo’s arrest was not politically motivated and that Mkhwanazi had been aware it was going to happen.
Padayachee described Khumalo as a “good friend” whom he admired for trying to clean up Crime Intelligence.
READ: Dumisani Khumalo arrest not politically motivated, says IDAC investigator
He said the investigation into Khumalo originated from a Section 27 referral under the NPA Act submitted by Member of Parliament Fadiel Adams.
Mkhwanazi has accused Adams and DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard, both at the Commission and during his media briefing, of being reckless with Crime Intelligence information.
Adams has denied the allegations and opened a criminal case against Mkhwanazi. Meanwhile, Padayachee told the Commission that although he had not personally seen Adams’ affidavit, he had been briefed on its contents.
READ: IDAC faces scrutiny over Section 27 referrals at Madlanga Commission
Padayachee said complainants initiate the process by submitting affidavits directly to the head of IDAC. In her application for the position of National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Johnson stated in her curriculum vitae that all investigations are routed through her office and that the responsibility cannot be delegated.
At the start of her testimony before the Commission, Johnson’s legal team argued that she was not directly involved in the matters under scrutiny. However, as head of IDAC, they acknowledged that ultimate responsibility rests with her.