National Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams faces three counts of fraud and two counts of defeating the ends of justice. Image credit Makhosandile Zulu
National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams has lashed out at the latest delay in the Fadiel Adams fraud case, describing it as a bloody joke. The outspoken MP also threatened to sue senior police generals, whom he accuses of targeting him.
Adams was due back in the Pinetown Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday for a pre-trial conference. However, the case did not move forward as he had hoped, and he vented his frustration outside court.
What the Fadiel Adams fraud case is about
Adams faces three counts of fraud and two counts of defeating the ends of justice. The charges relate to two visits he made to Westville Correctional Centre in Durban, on 2 November 2024 and 24 January 2025.
During those visits, Adams interviewed two awaiting trial inmates and allegedly recorded the conversations. One of the inmates was Sibusiso Ncengwa, a hitman linked to the 2017 murder of former ANC Youth League secretary general Sindiso Magaqa. A court later sentenced Ncengwa to 25 years in prison.
According to the state, Adams gave the impression that he was on official parliamentary business. As a result, police, Correctional Services and eThekwini Metro Police allegedly arranged an official escort for him from King Shaka International Airport to the prison and back. The state says investigators never approved the visits and that the inmates’ lawyers were not present.
The Political Killings Task Team arrested Adams at the Parliamentary Village in Cape Town in May. He spent about a week in custody before the court released him on R10 000 bail. During the bail hearing, prosecutors accused him of defiant behaviour and of showing contempt for the courts.
Adams denies any wrongdoing. He insists that senior police officials targeted him because he laid corruption charges against Crime Intelligence officials and exposed the purchase of hotels with taxpayers’ money. At his previous appearance in September, he said the case would prove to be a joke once the public sees the docket. He also warned that there would be repercussions.
The National Prosecuting Authority, however, says it remains confident in its case. KwaZulu-Natal NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the state has handed all the necessary documents to Adams’s defence team.
Adams is also fighting a separate legal battle. Last month, he asked the High Court in Pretoria to overturn the decision to withdraw charges against police commissioner General Fannie Masemola. Those charges related to a R360 million police health tender linked to businessman Vusimuzi Cat Matlala. Adams argues that the evidence showed at least a basic case against Masemola. However, on Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa reinstated Masemola as national commissioner, effective Monday.
Adams first entered Parliament in 2024 as the leader of the National Coloured Congress. Since then, he has become known for his fiery speeches and clashes with other MPs.
Meanwhile, commentary across social media platforms remains divided. His supporters say the case is a political attack on a man who speaks out against corruption. His critics, however, say no MP is above the law and that he must face the charges in court.