South Africa: NCC leader Fadiel Adams faces court over justice interference

Fadiel Adams, leader of the National Coloured Congress (NCC) and a Member of Parliament, is scheduled to appear in Pinetown Magistrate’s Court in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday morning.

Arrest Details

He was arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday and faces charges of defeating the ends of justice, stemming from alleged interference in the 2017 murder investigation of Sindiso Magaqa.

Travel and Detention

Originally set for a Wednesday court date, police transported Adams by road to KwaZulu-Natal, stopping overnight en route; he reached Durban Wednesday evening and was held at Durban Central police station rather than Westville Prison.

Legal Proceedings

Adams’ attorney, Bruce Hendricks, confirmed the Thursday appearance in Pinetown, related to a 2024 visit to alleged hitman Sibusiso Ncengwa at Westville Correctional Facility during the ongoing probe; police claim this occurred at a critical investigation stage.

Police are questioning his interest in doing so and accused him of interfering with the investigation. They also have an issue with a police escort; however, Adams defended the escort, arguing that he deserved it as he was on official duty as a member of Parliament.

Adams also defended his meeting with Ncengwa, arguing that he came to interview him because the police were delaying their investigation.

However, a high-profile police source, who is involved in his arrest, said the reason for Adams’s visit was to influence the suspect to implicate the Crime Intelligence boss Major-General Dumisani Khumalo.

The source said Adams is working with other senior Crime Intelligence officials to get rid of Khumalo, adding that those Crime Intelligence officials are working for drug cartels.

He said the real interest of Adams in all this and how he was hoping to benefit from manipulating the hitman’s confession would be exposed soon. 

Adams’ attorney Hendricks did not respond to the allegations levelled against his client