Orrin Singh

Former IDAC boss Andrea Johnson and former SAPS major-general Feroz Khan have been arrested in connection with a case of defeating the ends of justice, @eNCA reports. The Madlanga Commission previously heard allegations that Johnson, while working as an NPA prosecutor, improperly shared information from a 2018 assault investigation involving Khan, allowing him access to evidence before he gave his warning statement. Johnson invoked her right against self-incrimination when questioned about the allegations. Johnson's leadership of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) had already come under scrutiny. In our documentary examining the NPA's failure to successfully prosecute major state capture cases, amaBhungane revealed an internal recording in which Johnson instructed prosecutors to arrive at court "dressed to the nines" and carry neatly labelled file boxes, even if there was nothing in the files. The documentary looks at why the NPA has struggled to bring major state capture cases to trial, and why so many high-profile arrests have failed to result in convictions. WATCH our investigation: youtube.com/watch?v=_2HakW03…

AmaBhungane challenged an application to hear intelligence coordinator Ntandazo Sifolo's evidence at the Madlanga Commission entirely behind closed doors. We argued that blanket secrecy was unjustified. news24.com/southafrica/news/… Following the challenge, Sifolo has agreed that some intelligence documents may be used in open hearings. Others remain restricted. The fight for public scrutiny continues. AmaBhungane's Sam Sole spoke to @Newzroom405 yesterday: nitter.gq/Newzroom405/status/211…

PetroSA is fighting for its survival after a former business partner, Nako Energy, applied to have the struggling state-owned petroleum company liquidated over R606-million in unpaid fuel bills. But court papers filed this week reveal another side to the dispute: Nako itself owes PetroSA R833-million for a cargo of diesel it bought and never paid for. If the two debts were offset, Nako would actually owe PetroSA R227-million. So why did PetroSA spend 18 months doing seemingly nothing to recover the money? And why did it continue awarding business to Nako, even after Nako's financiers began demanding payment? The dispute stems from a controversial fuel deal that left PetroSA struggling to sell petrol containing the chemical additive N-methylaniline (NMA). After motorists complained that the fuel was staining their vehicles, major fuel companies refused to buy more of the product. PetroSA's own court papers acknowledge that the deal damaged its reputation and cost it customers. Yet despite these problems, PetroSA continued trying to do business with Nako. In October 2025, it requested another petrol delivery. In December, it appointed Nako to supply diesel in Durban, even though lawyers representing Nako's financiers had already demanded payment of PetroSA's outstanding debt. It was only after Nako launched liquidation proceedings that PetroSA indicated it would consider taking steps to recover the R833-million it was owed. And all of this is happening against the backdrop of a deepening financial crisis at PetroSA, which owes SARS R5.1-billion and, by amaBhungane's estimate, could owe creditors around R10-billion in total. In this analysis, we examine the increasingly bitter dispute and the extraordinary lengths PetroSA went to accommodate its former partner, even as it failed to recover hundreds of millions of rands while facing mounting pressure from its own creditors. Read @SAJournalist’s latest analysis: amabhungane.org/analysis-glo…

A victory for open justice. The State Security Agency (SSA) has backed down following a legal challenge by amaBhungane and fellow media and civil society organisations, @News24 (Media24), @dailymaverick, @_FreeExpression (Campaign for Free Expression) and @mailandguardian, over secrecy surrounding the corruption trial of former spy boss Thulani ‘Silence’ Dlomo and his co-accused, Patrick Mshothola. The two face charges relating to the alleged misappropriation of R12-million in state funds. The case is a matter of significant public interest.  Read more via @News24: news24.com/investigations/ss…

In opposing a senior intelligence official from testifying in-camera before the #MadlangaCommission, we propose targeted redactions, codenames and limited closed sessions. The public deserves insight into what intelligence agencies knew about criminal infiltration, and what they did about it. amabhungane.org/openness-or-…

Open justice or blanket secrecy? Justice Mbuyiseli #Madlanga must decide whether NICOC Intelligence Coordinator Dr Ntandazo Sifolo can testify entirely behind closed doors about alleged infiltration of South Africa’s criminal justice system by organised crime cartels. amabhungane.org/openness-or-…

Together with Media24, Daily Maverick and the Campaign for Free Expression, amaBhungane has launched an urgent court application challenging the exclusion of journalists and the public from the R12-million criminal trial of former State Security Agency (SSA) officials Thulani “Silence” Dlomo and Patrick Mshothola. The SSA is seeking to exclude the media and public from the proceedings, citing risks to intelligence sources, operational methods and classified information. It also wants to prohibit the publication of information from closed hearings. We argue that the agency has relied on generalised concerns about potential disclosures, rather than demonstrating the specific harm that would result from particular pieces of evidence. The case raises important questions about transparency, accountability and the public’s right to know. Read Daily Maverick’s latest report: dailymaverick.co.za/article/…