‘Catch me if you can’: Adams stays behind bars as state opposes bail

National Coloured Congress (NCC) president Fadiel Adams has been remanded in custody after prosecutors told the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday that the outspoken Member of Parliament (MP) displayed a “catch me if you can” attitude after a warrant for his arrest was issued. Adams is accused of interfering in the murder investigation of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa. Magaqa was shot in a targeted attack in July 2017 and died from his injuries in September that year.

A smiling and visibly relaxed Adams sat in the dock as the state argued that his behaviour following the issuing of a warrant for his arrest had forced prosecutors to reconsider their initial stance on bail. The state told the court it intended to oppose bail and requested time to prepare. He articulated openly and said to the public that he is a fugitive.

That is someone running from the law and that concerns us. “He said in a press briefing, ‘If you want to find me, you will arrest me’, indicative of a catch me if you can attitude,” the court heard. The state alleges that between November 2024 and January 2025, Adams made unauthorised visits to Westville prison while falsely presenting himself as acting in his official capacity as a member of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police.

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It was alleged that Adams visited convicted Magaqa hitman Sibusiso Ncengwa as well as inmate Bonginkosi Dlamini under the same pretence of conducting official parliamentary business, despite both matters being sub judice. During the visits, Adams allegedly used his cellphone to record audio and took statements without legal representatives being present.

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