Drushantha Ramsamy has described a deeply distrustful and toxic environment inside the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), telling the Madlanga commission that former head Adv Andrea Johnson ran the office on a divide and conquer basis.
The Idac prosecutor told the commission on Friday that Johnson became paranoid with the existence of the commission.
“Adv Johnson ran the office as divide and conquer. So, it’s a very uncomfortable, toxic environment where we just don’t trust each other,” Ramsamy testified.
Ramsamy described the relationship between herself and her colleague, Adv Joy Hlatshwayo:
“We hadn’t worked together before. We didn’t know where the other person stood,” she said.
‘No prima facie case against Gen Khumalo’
But when they were assigned by Johnson to work on the appointment of Crime Intelligence boss Gen Dumisani Khumalo, pressure to proceed with the case brought them together.
Ramsamy said:
“Hlatshwayo and I had a conversation and we agreed that being involved in the SAPS HR matter was going to ruin our careers.”
According to Ramsamy, the two prosecutors met on July 2, 2025, to consider the evidence surrounding the appointment of Gen Khumalo.
READ: MK Party turns up the heat on DA’s Ian Cameron over alleged Idac links
The allegations included concerns about Khumalo’s security clearance, his experience and the process through which he was appointed.
The commission heard from Ramsamy that there were also allegations that Khumalo’s vetting had been fast-tracked and that National Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola knew Khumalo did not have top security clearance.
“We discussed the evidence and agreed that there was no prima facie case against the general; in fact, we were both of the view that something was amiss on the part of Adv Johnson, chief investigator Dylan Perumal and senior Idac investigator Brian Padayachee,” she added.
They decided to put their assessment in writing.
“We decided to prepare a prosecution memo for Adv Johnson, setting out our analysis of the evidence. Our recommendation was that there was no prima facie case.”
Suspicious shuffling
The memorandum came after prosecutors were told that Leg 4 of Project Diversion would be moved ahead of Leg 3, with a charge sheet and accompanying documents to be prepared for the arrest of Khumalo and Masemola.
Ramsamy said the change was communicated by Chief Perumal on June 27, 2025. Asked by evidence leader Adv Lee Segeels-Ncube why the sequence had changed, she said there was no explanation.
“It was just, Mr Perumal telling us, ‘This is what Adv Johnson wanted.'”
READ: Andrea Johnson allegedly sidelined prosecutor for challenging arrest and bail instructions
Segeels-Ncube asked about her own suspicions on why things were moved around, Ramsamy was cautious because she said if she keeps voicing her suspicions, she is going to get into trouble.
She said she and Hlatshwayo were assessing the evidence while remaining unaware of the bigger picture, to arrest the generals.
“At that time, we didn’t know what was at play. Adv Hlatshwayo and I were in the dark, we were just assessing the evidence.”
But, she said, they felt something was wrong.
“Although we did feel that there was something off,” Ramsamy testified.
Ramsamy said Johnson’s comments at the July 8, 2025 meeting raised further questions. Johnson allegedly referred to warnings from Gen Feroz Khan that something big was coming.
“So, we took it to mean that Gen Khan had already alerted her to certain things,” Ramsamy said.
She also recalled Johnson saying, “He keeps saying they’re coming for me.”
- Drushantha Ramsamy testified that former Idac head Adv Andrea Johnson ran the office on a "divide and conquer" basis, creating a distrustful and toxic environment.
- Ramsamy and colleague Adv Joy Hlatshwayo concluded there was no prima facie case against Crime Intelligence boss Gen Dumisani Khumalo regarding his appointment.
- They wrote a prosecution memo recommending no case be pursued, questioning the actions of Adv Johnson, chief investigator Dylan Perumal, and senior investigator Brian Padayachee.
- The sequence of prosecutorial actions was suspiciously altered to prioritize the arrest of Khumalo and National Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola without explanation.
- Johnson allegedly expressed paranoia, referencing warnings from Gen Feroz Khan about something significant approaching.
