Cyril Ramaphosa Accepts Andrea Johnson's Resignation Amid Corruption Inquiry

President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted the immediate resignation of Advocate Andrea Johnson, head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), on July 27, 2026. The decision followed a recommendation from Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and support from National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi.

Johnson requested to vacate her office within 24 hours, seeking a waiver of her three-month notice period. In her request, she cited unprecedented attacks against her personal and professional capacity, which she linked to IDAC cases against Crime Intelligence officials. She argued that her departure would protect the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and IDAC from further reputational risk and avoid the cost of a new commission to investigate allegations against her.

The resignation occurred as Johnson testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. During cross-examination on July 27, Johnson conceded that fraud and corruption charges brought by IDAC in June 2025 against senior crime intelligence officers, including head Dumisani Khumalo, were baseless. She attributed the error to incorrect briefings from her team. Following these admissions, the IDAC oversight office, chaired by retired Justice Takalani Raulinga, confirmed it is investigating formal complaints against Johnson for the alleged misuse of power and pursuit of baseless allegations for ulterior motives.