Johnathan Paoli
The South African Police Service (SAPS) on Tuesday called on National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams to hand himself over in connection with allegations of fraud and defeating and/or obstructing the course of justice.
SAPS said it had a warrant of arrest for the MP.
“SAPS is in possession of a J50 warrant of arrest for Mr Adams. The warrant relates to serious allegations that he interfered with ongoing investigations into the murder of the late ANC Youth League Leader, Mr Sindiso Magaqa,” said SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
She said Adams allegedly interfered with a now convicted and sentenced hitman linked to the high-profile political killing at a critical stage of the investigation.
Mathe said repeated attempts to secure Adams’ cooperation had failed.
“Arrangements were made with his attorney to hand himself over on Monday, 04 May 2026, at the Cape Town Central Police Station, but as of now, he has not cooperated.
“Mr Adams was scheduled to appear before a KwaZulu-Natal court on Monday but failed to do so,” she said.
The warrant comes just days after Adams said criminal complaints had been laid against SAPS, alleging intimidation and unlawful conduct by what he claims was the Political Killings Task Team in Cape Town.
In a statement on Saturday, the NCC leader claimed that heavily armed officers raided a home in Westridge, Mitchells Plain, in the early hours of the morning.
Adams alleged that around 15 officers entered the property at approximately 4am without presenting any warrant.
“Clad in ski masks, they refused to identify themselves and parked their vehicle 100 meters away to prevent number plate identification,” he said.
He further alleged that firearms were pointed at occupants and that a 12-year old boy was assaulted during the operation.
“Cases of unlawful entry, the assault of a minor and intimidation have been laid by the victim, an educator. Let us be clear, this was no search and seizure, as no evidence to this has been produced; this was the planned kidnapping of Fadiel Adams,” the NCC said.
SAPS in the Western Cape confirmed receipt of an intimidation complaint, saying the allegations were still under investigation.
The latest developments follow months of public clashes between Adams and senior police leadership, including KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola.
In his statement to Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption in law enforcement, Adams made sweeping allegations about misconduct within SAPS.
Adams claimed Mkhwanazi misled the public and Parliament, describing his high-profile July 2025 media briefing as a “farce” in which “the most popular man in the country told the lies that consumed the nation”, and argued that his testimony would have been dismissed in any “civilized court”.
He further alleged that Mkhwanazi failed to act on alleged wrongdoing by former police minister Bheki Cele despite acknowledging it, saying the commissioner did nothing and instead distanced himself.
Against Masemola, Adams alleged a pattern of shielding senior officials and avoiding oversight, accusing him of failing to respond to parliamentary questions and effectively allowing corruption to persist, adding that the national commissioner was allowed to “duck his responsibility to account”.
Adams also suggested that both men were linked to systemic failures in crime intelligence and procurement.
He told the committee that his intervention began after he received documents suggesting criminal activity within Crime Intelligence.
Unsure of their authenticity, he opted to report the matter to authorities.
However, Adams claimed the cases were mishandled from the outset and possibly suppressed.
He further alleged that attempts to ensure accountability were obstructed, stating the Police Oversight Committee had “failed in its mandate and failed the people of South Africa for obvious reasons”.
Adams did not respond to calls from Inside Politics on his known cellphone numbers.
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