National Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams concluded his testimony before the Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday night.
Image: Image: Phando Jikelo / RSA Parliament
National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams laid bare the personal toll he has endured since he uncovered a cache of classified documents implicating top crime intelligence officers.
The documents, which he initially wrestled with whether to discard or report, have thrust Adams and his family into a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty.
Adams, who described his experience as “a nightmare,” lamented the extreme measures he felt compelled to take to protect his family.
“There was a stage where I would have armed people collect my kids at school, where I would ensure that my wife did not walk anywhere not even to a shop because it was hectic (and) a strain on my family,” he said.
Testifying before the Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday night, Adams stated that he did not know whether the good work that may come out of the parliamentary inquiry would be worth it.
He said there were times that he had to move his family from his home because they were concerned about the cars stopping and take pictures of his house.
“It was a nightmare. There is a big part of me that wishes I had torn those documents and just walked away, but when I look at what the people have allegedly done, I am glad I did not do it.”
In his testimony, Adams said he initially did not know what to do with the information, but he decided to hand it over to the SAPS.
He first opened the docket in Cape Town and thereafter at two police stations in Gauteng after the document was moved to the provincial office before handing over the document when he was approached by suspended Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Faizel.
“When I was tipped off that the documents were missing, I decided not to give them at all. I did not want to give them to anybody.”
Adams gave the documents to Faizel for investigation.
He said even if the SAPS Lieutenant-Colonel was genuine, he did not have authority to conduct the investigation due to the junior rank he was holding to that of the crime intelligence generals.
“For this reason, when he called, I gave him an excuse every time until he went away.”
During his testimony last night, Adams was grilled about origin of the information and on the authenticity of the documents, among other things.
His evidence was that out of the three documents, one was marked top secret.
“I had the feeling in the back of my mind somebody wanted me to run to the newspapers and what if its fraudulent and it ends with egg on my face.”
EFF leader Julius Malema said there was nothing wrong with what Adams had done.
“No one must tell you nonsense. When you come across the information, you must go the police. What the police do with it is none of your business,” said Malema.
He recalled when he was the ANC Youth League president, he did the same thing in 1998 when a report on the so-called SARS’ “rogue unit” was slipped under the door of the league’s office.
Malema stated that it was not to for him to judge Adams.
“They must do an investigation, and they must come back to say you were wrong or there is no prima facie evidence,” he said.
Adams levelled several allegations against KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, whom he accused of hosting the July 6, 2025, press conference and accused MPs and politicians of shielding criminal cartels to pre-empt the arrest of National Commissioner Fani Masemola and wanting to reduce the fraud and corruption-related charges against Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo as human resources matters.
He also accused the crime intelligence of buying a redundant cellphone grabber and hotels with taxpayers’ money and the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) of being housed in the hotels that were used as washing machines to launder funds.
However, MPs wanted proof of evidence for his allegations, and he would at times point the MPs to connecting the dots, asking them to probe and demanded to be allowed to express his thoughts like other witnesses before him did.