'She is no longer ill': Madlanga Commission expects Andrea Johnson to testify soon
The head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Advocate Andrea Johnson, is no longer ill and is expected to testify before the Madlanga Commission in the coming weeks.
Johnson was unable to appear before the commission on Monday after her lawyer informed the inquiry that she had been rushed to hospital.
She became the latest in a growing number of witnesses whose testimony has been postponed on medical grounds, prompting renewed scrutiny over the medical certificates being submitted to the commission.
Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said the commission was eager to hear Johnson's evidence and would announce a new date for her appearance soon.
"As far as we are aware, she is no longer ill. There is no indication of that, and the commission needs to, and wants to hear from her as soon as possible on a whole range of serious issues, so you can expect an update in the next few days," Michaels said.
Johnson was due to testify before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System on Monday, where she was expected to answer allegations that she interfered in an assault case by allegedly protecting suspended Crime Intelligence head Major-General Feroz Khan from prosecution.
Her legal representative, Advocate Apla Bodlani, told the commission that Johnson was receiving medical treatment and that her condition prevented her from testifying.
"We were made to understand that she is with the doctor. She had some serious health-related issues that I'm not able to disclose in public, and that she is being attended to," Bodlani said.
He told the commission that Johnson's medical certificate declared her unfit for work from 13 to 15 July 2026.
Evidence leader Advocate Mahlape Sello asked that her testimony be postponed to a date yet to be determined, warning that allocating a specific date immediately could result in another postponement if she remained unwell.
Although the commission granted the request, Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga criticised the medical certificate, saying it contained no meaningful information.
"I notice that this is one of those medical certificates, the nature of which I've previously said are useless, in the sense that they give no information whatsoever. It's not even a case of confidentiality issues. It's just one of those useless medical certificates," Madlanga said.
Despite his criticism, Madlanga said the commission had little choice but to postpone Johnson's testimony.
"We are forced, in the circumstances, to postpone the hearing of Advocate Johnson's testimony to a date to be determined," he said.
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