Idac head Andrea Johnson resigns, asks to vacate office within 24-hours

Advocate Andrea Johnson, the head of the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), has resigned and asked to be allowed to vacate her office within 24 hours. Johnson submitted her letter of resignation to the national director of public prosecutions (NDPP), adv Andy Mothibi, as well as President Cyril Ramaphosa, who appointed her to the role. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that Mothibi had received Johnson’s resignation letter.

“The NDPP has received the letter and he is processing it.” In her letter, Johnson said she had endured unprecedented attacks in her personal and professional capacity over the past five months. The attacks, she said, had brought an extreme amount of negative attention not just to her, but toIdacas well as the NPA. “Much of the attacks revolve and arise out of the cases Idac has conducted against officials of crime intelligence.

I am currently testifying at the [Madlanga] commission and again, the issues there are in the main about the above. “This in itself, let alone the attacks on me, does not sit well with me. I have given 30 years of service to an organisation I love dearly.

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I cannot be the reason that there is so much negative attention and reputational risk to Idac and the NPA.” Johnson said the allegations against her had still to be proven. However, that would again require the setting up of a commission, a process she said was both costly and time-consuming. I cannot be the reason that there is so much negative attention and reputational risk to Idac and the NPA.

“The outcome of a commission into my fitness to hold office can go either way, as we have seen with the (Andrew) Chauke matter. That hearing also placed the NPA under scrutiny, cost a substantial amount of money and he has now returned to work.” Chauke, the South Gauteng director of public prosecutions, was suspended last year after former NDPP Shamila Batohi accused him of making politically motivated prosecutorial decisions.

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