National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams has accused the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety, JP Smith, of ordering a hit on him.
Adams, who is testifying at the Madlanga Commission, claims Smith, who is also the deputy chairperson of the DA’s Federal Council, sent a junior councillor to incite a former gang boss against him.
Adams claims more than one person, including the gang leader whom he said does business with the City of Cape Town, has confirmed under oath that JP Smith wanted him killed.
“The Alderman JP Smith, I think he’s the deputy federal chairperson of the DA, wanted to have me killed. He used his own councillors to try and get a former gang leader to kill me by sending a newly elected councillor to tell him they’re going to have to cancel his tenders because Fadiel is prying,” he said.
Adams also expressed frustration that it is almost impossible to open cases in the Western Cape, as he claims gangs have infiltrated the criminal justice system.
“For four years now, we attend the trial and it’s just postponed each time. But what is strange, I must tell you, is that the accused never appear before the judge,” he said, referring to one of the criminal cases he claims to be pursuing in the Western Cape. According to Adams, this is one of many cases that are not being pursued to the end, even when police have enough evidence.
“With all that evidence, Crime Intelligence could not convince the NPA to prosecute. I must say, Commissioner, that the good lawyers don’t last at the NPA. The private law firms take them. The NPA must be given more funding so it can keep its best lawyers. Imagine there’s a court battle and someone sends me to go face Commissioner Khumalo; it’s obvious he wins,” he said in an emotional plea.
Adams’ appearance got off to a rather difficult start, with Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga going to great lengths to make him concede that he had lied when he claimed he had only received correspondence from the commission three months ago.
Justice Madlanga subsequently showed him that he had actually received the email ten months ago and had replied to it 11 days later.
Adams accused the DA of encouraging criminality in the Western Cape by allocating large tenders to gang leaders.
“I know people would like to say corruption happens with the ANC, but in the Cape, where the DA is in charge, is where these things just happen all the time, and the NPA blocks us when we push for accountability,” he said.