Public Interest SA refers IDAC head to the Legal Practice Council and calls for her suspension

JOHANNESBURG | Thursday, 23 July 2026 — Public Interest SA confirms that it has today lodged a formal complaint with the Legal Practice Council seeking a disciplinary investigation into the conduct of Advocate Andrea Johnson, Head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), following what we regard as damning concessions made during proceedings before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

The complaint raises serious concerns regarding Johnson's fitness to continue practising as a legal practitioner and serving as South Africa's foremost anti-corruption prosecutor.

We contend that aspects of her conduct are fundamentally incompatible with the ethical obligations imposed upon legal practitioners, her duties as an officer of the court, and the standards expected of the head of a specialised anti-corruption prosecuting body.

Among the issues raised in our complaint are allegations that protected disclosures made by a complainant in a criminal matter involving a senior SAPS Crime Intelligence officer were unlawfully disclosed, thereby compromising the integrity of the reporting process and potentially placing lives, livelihoods and the administration of justice at risk. Johnson invoked her right against self-incrimination.

The evidence that has emerged before the Madlanga Commission also raises profound concerns regarding the prosecution of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele and other senior SAPS Crime Intelligence officers.

In our assessment, the testimony heard by the Commission casts serious doubt on whether the prosecution met the constitutional standards of prosecutorial fairness, impartiality and good faith expected of the National Prosecuting Authority and IDAC.

Johnson has already admitted, under oath before the Madlanga Commission, the parliamentary ad hoc committee, and the 2025 interview panel convened to fill the then-vacant position of National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), that she acted unethically by failing to recuse herself from a selection panel that interviewed her husband, Junaid Johnson, for a position within the now-defunct Scorpions.

These developments, taken together, substantially reinforce concerns previously raised regarding prosecutorial impropriety in the matter. Public Interest SA is therefore of the view that the NDPP, Advocate Andy Mothibi, must urgently and objectively consider the representations made by the accused and determine whether the continuation of the prosecution remains compatible with the constitutional obligation to pursue justice rather than merely secure convictions.

In addition, Public Interest SA will formally request the State Security Agency to review Advocate Johnson's security vetting and to revoke, where appropriate and lawful, any Top Secret security clearance she presently holds, having regard to the serious concerns that have emerged regarding her conduct.

Public Interest SA is cognisant that Johnson's testimony before the Madlanga Commission has not yet concluded.

However, the protection of our national and public interests cannot be suspended pending the completion of her evidence. The seriousness of the concessions already made before the Commission compels immediate intervention.

In our considered view, every additional day that Johnson remains at the helm of IDAC unnecessarily exposes the Republic and the integrity of the criminal justice system to continuing, potentially irreparable, risk.

The competent authority must urgently implement appropriate precautionary measures, including the immediate suspension of Advocate Johnson pending the outcome of the relevant investigations and proceedings.

The rule of law depends upon prosecutors who are beyond reproach, who faithfully uphold their constitutional obligations, and who inspire public confidence through integrity, fairness and independence. Where credible evidence suggests that those standards have been compromised, accountability cannot be optional.

Public Interest SA will continue to pursue all lawful avenues to ensure that those entrusted with enforcing the law are themselves held to the highest legal and ethical standards.

ENDS.

Media Enquiries:

Bagaetsho Oteng

Email: media@publicinterest.org.za | WhatsApp: 084 566 5400