IDAC was supposed to be the institution that finally cleaned up State Capture.
Instead, just a few years later, its own leadership would find itself answering questions before a commission of inquiry.
This week's episode of Let's Debrief traces the extraordinary rise and fall of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and the woman chosen to lead it, Advocate Andrea Johnson.
The story is about whether South Africa can build an anti-corruption institution that remains independent in a criminal justice system long plagued by political interference and factional battles.
Here's how we got here.
Timeline
2018 | Andrea Johnson emerges
Andrea Johnson became one of the country's most respected prosecutors when she was shortlisted for the position of National Director of Public Prosecutions.
Having prosecuted high-profile cases including those involving Jackie Selebi and Oscar Pistorius, she built a reputation for prosecutorial independence. During her interview for the country's top prosecuting job, she repeatedly stressed that prosecutors must act "without fear, favour or prejudice."
Although she was not appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions, her performance cemented her reputation as one of the National Prosecuting Authority's most capable leaders.
The Scorpions years
Long before IDAC existed, Johnson built her reputation inside the Scorpions.
She worked on some of South Africa's most complex organised crime investigations, helped develop investigative systems that are still used today and played a role in tackling organised crime, gang violence, construction extortion, illegal mining and financial crime.
When the Scorpions were disbanded, she continued her career inside the National Prosecuting Authority.
2019 | The Investigating Directorate is born
Following widespread frustration over the slow pace of State Capture prosecutions, President Cyril Ramaphosa established the Investigating Directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority.
The unit was specifically created to investigate complex corruption, serious fraud and State Capture cases emerging from the Zondo Commission.
Many viewed it as South Africa's dedicated State Capture unit.
2022 | Andrea Johnson takes over
After Advocate Hermione Cronje resigned, Andrea Johnson was appointed to lead the Investigating Directorate.
Around the same time, the Zondo Commission recommended that the unit should become a permanent institution with stronger investigative powers.
President Ramaphosa accepted that recommendation and announced plans to establish a permanent anti-corruption directorate.
The vision was ambitious. South Africa would have a specialist, prosecution-led anti-corruption agency with dedicated investigators, forensic experts and long-term institutional capacity.
2024 | IDAC becomes permanent
The Investigating Directorate officially became the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, better known as IDAC.
For the first time, the institution received full police powers, allowing it to conduct criminal investigations with its own investigators, forensic specialists and police officers.
Supporters hailed it as a major milestone in rebuilding South Africa's anti-corruption architecture.
Others questioned whether a body housed within the National Prosecuting Authority could ever be sufficiently independent from political influence.
2025 | The controversy begins
Everything changed when KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi publicly accused IDAC of operating as part of a rogue faction within law enforcement.
The allegations thrust IDAC into the national spotlight.
Attention soon shifted to Andrea Johnson herself.
She defended the directorate's investigations and rejected claims that arrests involving senior Crime Intelligence officials were politically motivated.
She also acknowledged that, in hindsight, she should have recused herself from the interview process that led to her husband's appointment within Crime Intelligence.
Late 2025 | Scrutiny intensifies
As scrutiny around IDAC intensified, Johnson's suitability to lead the National Prosecuting Authority was publicly challenged.
Questions were raised about conflicts of interest, prosecutorial judgment, governance and leadership.
Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, head of Crime Intelligence for the South African Police Service, was arrested on June 26, 2025, by the National Prosecuting Authority's Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) at OR Tambo International Airport.
The debate was no longer simply about individual investigations and moved on to become a debate about the credibility of South Africa's flagship anti-corruption institution.
2026 | The fall
By 2026, the crisis had deepened dramatically.
IDAC faced allegations ranging from fabricated witness statements and abuse of power to internal factionalism and improper relationships.
Johnson's relationship with embattled Crime Intelligence Major General Feroze Khan is at the centre of everything.
Amid questions about the motives of prosecutions against Crime Intelligence officials and the national police commissioner Fannie Masemole, Andrea Johnson resigned as head of IDAC. There was talk that she could have faced an enquiry into her fitness to hold office.
Subsequently senior prosecutors in IDAC were suspended. They may all still face a series of charges including perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
The Bigger Question
The story of IDAC is ultimately much bigger than Andrea Johnson.
It is a story about institutions.
Can South Africa build an anti-corruption body that is truly independent?
Can public trust be restored once credibility is damaged?
And if the institution created to fight corruption becomes the story itself, where does that leave the country's fight against State Capture?
These are the questions we explore in this week's episode of Let's Debrief.
Watch the full episode on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/J2h00MTt-ro and let us know what you think.