When National Coloured Congress (NCC) MP Fadiel Adams testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, one of his most striking submissions revolved around what he framed as the unequal cost of justice in South Africa.
Adams drew a sharp contrast between the funding of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) in KwaZulu-Natal and the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) in the Western Cape, arguing that the state spends vast sums investigating political dockets while under-resourcing police units combating gang violence on the Cape Flats.
According to Adams, the PKTT operates on a R100 million budget (excluding overtime) and is currently managing 130 murder dockets accumulated over the last 36 months.
““This translates into a total spend of R2.3 million per murder docket. In contrast, the AGU in the same period would have been combatting approximately 800 murders on the Cape Flats, of which the majority are coloureds.
"The Cape Flats is an area roughly 10% the size of KZN. In comparison with the PKTT, the AGU only received R2,600 per murder,” Adams testified.
While Adams’s figures have yet to be tested under cross-examination at the commission, a policing expert cautioned against using flat per-docket accounting to measure police efficacy.
Independent policing expert Dr Johan Burger, said while he could not comment on the amounts mentioned by Adams, such comparisons oversimplify the operational mechanics of law enforcement funding.
“Law-enforcement budget allocations towards criminal investigations often depend on case complexity,” Burger explained, noting that public interest and political imperatives inevitably dictate where resources flow.
He said an organised crime or political assassination inquiry inherently demands multi-layered intelligence gathering, cellphone tower dumps, ballistic analysis, and round-the-clock witness protection - cost drivers largely absent from standard homicide cases.
"An organised crime case will typically receive more resources than a so-called ordinary murder, which requires fewer resources," Burger added, emphasising that a single high-profile syndicate investigation can require dozens of dedicated detectives alongside secure escort details.
Beyond budgetary concerns, Adams levelled serious allegations against the leadership of the South African Police Service (SAPS), focusing on KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Crime Intelligence Head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo.
Adams testified that Crime Intelligence’s multimillion-rand budget has functioned as a patronage slush fund since the early 2000s, alleging that contracts and appointments were routinely handed to friends and family.
He claimed this institutional decay began under former Crime Intelligence head Richard Mdluli.
Adams expressed particular concern over dual roles, arguing that Khumalo’s role as head of Crime Intelligence and head of the PKTT, alongside Mkhwanazi’s dual role as Provincial Commissioner and head of Organised Crime in KZN, compromises investigative independence.
“In my view, the duality of these roles compromises investigative independence and creates an opportunity for abuse of process,” he told the commission.
He addressed Mkhwanazi’s allegation that the NCC and himself were "hired guns for criminal cartels".
“When Lieutenant[-General] Mkhwanazi claims that the NCC or I are hired guns for criminal cartels, the various cases opened by NCC members and myself have been aimed at exposing alleged fraud and corruption and recovering allegedly stolen funds from state coffers,” Adams said. “So, for me to be labelled a hired gun or a conduit for a cartel, whatever it is that is going on in General Mkhwanazi’s head—I take offence to it.”
Adams, who is currently serving a 20-day parliamentary suspension, has faced criticism for bypassing standard legislative procedure when filing a Section 27 affidavit with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC). The affidavit triggered an investigation into senior Crime Intelligence officers over the alleged irregular appointment of a civilian, Dineo Mokwele, as a brigadier.
That investigation led to the high-profile arrest of Khumalo and other senior officers at OR Tambo International Airport in June 2025. However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has reportedly indicated it intends to formally withdraw those charges.
Adams maintained that his actions stemmed from persistent, failed attempts to hold SAPS management accountable through the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Policing.
Finally, Adams addressed his May 2026 arrest regarding allegations that he interfered with ongoing investigations into the murder of former ANC Youth League leader Sindiso Magaqa. Adams told the commission he was contacted by an individual claiming to be associated with Magaqa’s hitmen, who alleged that the PKTT was attempting to solicit incriminating evidence against Adams.
Adams claimed the task team unlawfully used an electronic interception device during his arrest for a Schedule 1 offense.
“This was confirmed by the state prosecutor during my bail application,” Adams testified. “This is a transgression of the law, as cellphone grabbers may only be used in the event of a threat to life and limb.”
rapula.moatshe@nationalmg.co.za