Threats against Madlanga commissioner spark alarm

The alleged intimidation and threats of violence directed at Madlanga inquiry commissioner has drawn sharp criticism and condemnation from advocacy groups.

The Legal Practice Council (LPC) has condemned the threats of attacks directed at co-commissioner Adv Sandile Khumalo and his colleague Adv Myron Dewrance SC.

This comes after Advocates for Transformation (AFT) issued a statement on Tuesday stating that the two senior council have been receiving threats, some directed at their loved ones. AFT is tackling exclusion and unequal representation within the legal profession.

AFT said the apparent targeting of Dewrance could not reasonably be separated from his role as the organisation’s national chairperson, while the threats against Khumalo could similarly not be separated from his professional duties.

The threats are believed to be linked to disciplinary proceedings involving a member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA), who faced charges of serious professional misconduct.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any conduct that seeks to undermine the independence, safety and integrity of legal practitioners,” said LPC spokesperson Kabelo Letebele.

“Such acts are not only an attack on the legal profession but also pose a threat to the rule of law and our constitutional democracy.”

The commission’s spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, said: “The commission does not discuss such detailed aspects of its security, nor that of its personnel.”

Tebogo Khaas, chairperson of Public Interest SA, a non-profit organisation promoting transparency, ethical governance and accountability, also condemned the threats and called upon the police to urgently investigate the matter. “Such threats have no place in our society,” he said.

AFT said it had deliberately refrained from making the threats public until now, but the situation had escalated, with the threats for the first time including explicit threats of sexual violence against women.

“At the relevant time, Adv Khumalo SC chaired the JSA’s professional committee and served on the JSA Bar Council, having been nominated by AFT,” the statement read.

“The threatening communications repeatedly blame Adv Khumalo for what occurred, instruct Adv Dewrance and members of his family to ‘blame Sandile’, and expressly refer to AFT, its members and its leadership.”

The organisation stressed that its inquiries were still in the early stages. It said it had not yet identified those behind the threats.

However, AFT said advocates should not face threats for carrying out their professional duties, disciplinary proceedings should not be met with intimidation, and an advocate’s family should never be used to undermine their independence.

AFT said it was particularly alarmed by the escalation to explicit threats of sexual violence against women who had no involvement whatsoever in the underlying dispute.

The organisation said SA was already grappling with an unacceptable epidemic of violence against women and warned that threats of sexual violence must not be normalised as a tool of intimidation or retaliation.

AFT said it had consistently advocated for stronger protection of people involved in the justice system, adding that the latest developments underscored the urgency of that call. Threats and intimidation, it said, must be confronted before they escalate into assassinations.

“Threats of violence are not an argument. Women are not tools of retaliation. Families are not legitimate targets. The rule of law cannot be allowed to succumb to fear,” AFT said.

The organisation said it would not be intimidated, adding that threats against its leadership, representatives or their families would not influence its decisions on professional nominations, its positions or the work it undertakes.

AFT said it would pursue all lawful measures necessary to protect those affected and ensure that those responsible for the threats were identified and held accountable.