‘Sorry, chief’: Adams leaves Madlanga amused, irritated

While Fadiel Adams MP spent most of Wednesday at the Madlanga commission denying allegations against him, he also kept the chairperson and commissioners amused and irritated with his jokes and theatrics.

His appearance last week ended with parliament rejecting his claims to the commission that his work laptop often broke. That, he had claimed, led to him missing the October 2025 email notice from the commission and he only became aware of it about three months ago.

Yesterday , when confronted with parliament’s comments that he never reported his laptop to technicians and that it had also issued him with multiple devices as a backup, Adams conceded to chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga that his excuse was a lie.

You’re the only man, besides my father, who’s ever given me a beating—  MP Fadiel Adams to justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga

“I take this commission very seriously,” he said. “I’m very respectful of this commission. Forget what I say on social media — that’s me acting like a fool half the time. But when I address you, I want you to understand something: you’re the only man, besides my father, who’s ever given me a beating.”

Following parliament’s rejection of his laptop claim, Adams went on to do media interviews, claiming to have evidence of his interaction with its technicians.

On Wednesday Madlanga probed him about the so-called evidence that was later discovered to be based on a single incident where Adams had to borrow a colleague’s computer.

Based on this, Madlanga concluded: “So what should we make of what you said? You lied, basically, when you said you had proof.”

Adams said on August 11 that he had forgotten about the October 2024 correspondence between him and the commission because he “genuinely forgets”.

“I forget about other correspondence … I forget about my child’s birthday.”

Adams raised a few eyebrows when he kept on using the crude Afrikaans word fo*k*l (absolutely nothing).

An annoyed-looking Madlanga had to reprimand Adams twice for calling him “chief”. On the second occasion, Madlanga looked at him sternly and said: “I said to you, I’m not chief. Please just try to drum that into your head.”

Adams sheepishly responded, “Sorry, buda, that’s how we address an elder in Cape Town.”

Seconds later, Adams — who had been interjecting most of the day during questioning — raised his hand and asked for the lights behind Madlanga to be turned off.

“Commission, may I request, please, man, if someone can do something about that light? I literally can’t see you when you are talking and when you are not, and it’s causing me to interject.”

When commissioner advocate Sesi Baloyi SC asked him if he could see her, Adams responded: “You are easy to look at, but I can’t say the same for the other two [referring to Madlanga and advocate Sandile Khumalo SC].”

At one point, Adams was stopped by commissioners as he was about to stand up without Madlanga’s permission to go and take his medication.

Adams is accused of obtaining classified crime intelligence illegally and using it recklessly.

Adams opened multiple criminal dockets targeting high-ranking police officials at police stations in Cape Town and Johannesburg. He claimed he was told that a case docket in Cape Town had gone missing, prompting him to open the other cases

The information contained in a classified report he provided was allegedly used by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) to launch “orchestrated attacks” on police crime intelligence officers. This led to crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo and his colleagues being arrested.

“During the last week of October 2024, I found a document in my parliamentary office in Cape Town. I presume that the document had been pushed under my door.”

He said the document was in an envelope marked “top secret”. The document is alleged to have contained serious allegations about irregular procurements and appointments, fraudulent vetting results, and the misuse of secret security funds.

Adams said it was not unusual for him to receive leaked information, as whistleblowers often approached him.

“After reviewing the information, I considered that if the documents were authentic, [and that] the allegations warranted investigation,” he said.

Adams opened multiple criminal dockets targeting high-ranking police officials at police stations in Cape Town and Johannesburg. He claimed he was told that a case docket in Cape Town had gone missing, prompting him to open the other cases.

Adams had complained to now suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu about not being happy with how the police had treated him. Mchunu’s office referred the complaint to Idac.

The commission has heard how Idac used Adams’s complaint to launch an attack on Khumalo and his colleagues and abused their powers in the investigations led by the directorate’s former head, Adv Andrea Johnson.

Responding to the allegations, Adams said: “I am extremely concerned and shocked about the allegations of impropriety at the Idac.”

He submitted that if the allegations were true, those responsible should be held accountable.

“In my view, the conduct disclosed during the testimony raises serious questions about whether some members of Idac are capable of fulfilling their responsibilities.”

Adams denied allegations that he was a “conduit” for criminal cartels.