National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams has been arrested in Cape Town, marking a dramatic escalation in a case tied to allegations of fraud and interference with justice.
The arrest followed instructions issued by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), which had directed Adams to surrender at a police station. He complied on Tuesday, presenting himself at Parliament Village, where officers executed the arrest.
Earlier in the day, the South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that a J50 warrant had been authorised for Adams’ apprehension. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe stated that the warrant stems from allegations that Adams obstructed an active investigation into the murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa.
According to Mathe, investigators believe Adams engaged with a convicted hitman at a critical juncture in the probe, potentially compromising the integrity of the case.
The arrest comes amid a flurry of counter-allegations from Adams himself. Over the weekend, he accused SAPS and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of misconduct, claiming members of the task team had wrongly targeted a property he once owned in Mitchell’s Plain.
At a media briefing in Parliament, Adams alleged that approximately 15 officers descended on a Westridge residence on Saturday in search of him. He maintained that no warrants were presented during the operation and described what he called a heavy-handed raid, alleging that firearms were pointed at occupants, including a woman and a minor, and that a family was left traumatised.
Adams insisted he had sold the property weeks earlier and no longer resided there.
“With a budget of hundreds of millions of rand a year, this corrupt unit cannot even get an address right,”
he said, further alleging that a teacher was threatened at gunpoint while her husband was forced to lie on the ground.
He has since opened a case of intimidation against SAPS, claiming the raid was orchestrated by Mkhwanazi. When questioned about the absence of photographic evidence, Adams argued that residents were too fearful to document the incident.
The NCC leader also addressed scrutiny over his use of a blue-light escort to Westville Prison, stating that metro police had accompanied him in an official capacity to interview Magaqa’s convicted killer. Adams claims the hitman provided a written statement implicating police figures and expressed willingness to testify without incentives.
He further criticised Mkhwanazi, alleging that authorities failed to secure the statement themselves and instead suggested to Parliament that Adams had acted unlawfully.
Adams said he attempted to escalate the matter to acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and acting national police commissioner Puleng Dimpane, but received no response.
In support of his claims, Adams released emails he said were from Mkhwanazi concerning the warrant and investigative correspondence, alongside documentation from the NCC providing details of his legal representation.
Police have yet to publicly address the allegations made by Adams.