By Bongani Mdakane
DA MP and chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on police, Ian Cameron, has hit back at MK Party leader Thulani Shongwe, accusing him of dragging his name through the mud over claims linking him to senior officials at the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac).
This comes after Shongwe and the MKP wrote to the Madlanga commission on Thursday, demanding that Cameron be called to testify over allegations that he had links with Idac officials, including its former head, Adv Andrea Johnson.
Cameron rejected claims that he had worked with Idac officials in an alleged campaign against national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and suspended crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo.
He said a small group of people was trying to create the impression that he had been part of an agenda against the two senior police officers.
Cameron told Sunday World that his only involvement with Idac was when investigators asked him to confirm what had happened during a meeting of Parliament’s police committee on April 2.
“That’s the only truth about my role. So I honestly don’t know what Shongwe and his people are going on about.”
Cameron also denied having any relationship with Johnson. “I’ve never even met Andrea Johnson. I greeted her at the ad hoc committee for the first time. That’s the first time I saw her physically,” he said.
He said he had good relations with both Masemola and Khumalo.
He was particularly angered by Shongwe allegedly referring to him as a criminal. “I mean, Shongwe called me a criminal yesterday. For the past 15 years of my life, I’ve been fighting against criminals and corruption to the detriment of my personal life and my family.
“Seventy people get murdered a day in the country; now we have this guy with one person’s insinuation calling me a criminal,” he said.
“It just feels to me that there’s a deliberate agenda against me. I’m not here to get TikTok likes and little viral YouTube videos. We’ve got a job to do.”
The controversy follows testimony by Idac senior state advocate Drushantha Ramsamy before the commission. She alleged that Idac investigator Dylan Perumal had approached Cameron and ActionSA MP Dereleen James and sought their cooperation as complainants in investigations.
She further alleged that Perumal shared highly classified crime intelligence material with the two politicians.
According to Ramsamy, Cameron had already accepted the narrative being advanced by the investigators.
Ramsamy said the central message was that Masemola and Khumalo should be removed from their positions.
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi pressed Ramsamy on whether Cameron had deliberately aligned himself with the alleged campaign or had simply been manipulated. Ramsamy maintained that Cameron supported the narrative.
Cameron rejected her version, saying no evidence had been produced.
“She brought zero evidence of any kind,” he said.
“Let’s see what Madlanga says about their letter and all that.”
- DA MP Ian Cameron has denied allegations that he collaborated with Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) officials in a campaign against national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and suspended crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo.
- Cameron stated his only involvement with Idac was confirming details about a Parliament police committee meeting on April 2 and denied having any relationship with former Idac head Andrea Johnson.
- MK Party leader Thulani Shongwe and the MKP have demanded that Cameron testify before the Madlanga commission over claims linking him to Idac officials.
- Idac senior state advocate Drushantha Ramsamy alleged that Idac investigator Dylan Perumal shared classified crime intelligence material with Cameron and another MP and that Cameron supported a narrative to remove Masemola and Khumalo.
- Cameron rejected Ramsamy's claims, stating no evidence was presented, and accused Shongwe of deliberately tarnishing his reputation by calling him a criminal.
