Fadiel fights back: NCC leader expected in KZN court

The leader of the National Coloured Congress (NCC) and MP, Fadiel Adams, is expected to appear in a KwaZulu-Natal court on Thursday, May 7. Image:Photographer Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Media National Coloured Congress (NCC) party leader Fadiel Adams’s arrest has exploded into a full-blown legal showdown, with his lawyers claiming cops snubbed a High Court order during the arrest. Adams, who is expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrates Court in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, faces charges linked to fraud and defeating the ends of justice after he allegedly interfered with a convicted hitman linked to the murder of ANC Youth League leader Sindiso Magaqa.

The politician was arrested on Tuesday by members of the Political Killings Task Team after handing himself over at Parliament Village in Pelican Park. Earlier that day, the Western Cape High Court stepped in urgently after Adams feared he was about to be arrested. According to court papers, the court ordered that if police intended to arrest Adams, they had to hand over the J50 warrant (the official arrest document signed by a magistrate) as well as all the evidence used to obtain it, including sworn statements explaining the reasons for his arrest. Cops were also given 24 hours to provide these documents, although they were allowed to redact sensitive details such as the identities of informants.