By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

Deputy Head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) Peter Serunye, testified that his former boss, Head of IDAC Andrea Johnson, regarding the fact that she lied when she testified that no one her office had raised any sort of concerns regarding the corruption cases against Brigadier Dineo Mokwele as well as former Crime Intelligence chief financial officer Philani Lushaba. 

Testifying at the commission on Tuesday, Serunye told the panel of commissioners that Johnson’s version of events contradict several emails that were sent by her, in which he questioned the merits of the investigations and has urged that concerns surrounding both cases be considered before the prosecution moved forward.

 “I raised, I think earlier we read one of my emails where I referred his queries to him. It was not only by email, but there were two, maybe even three others that I referred to, even with the Lushaba case” said Serunye in his testimony. 

His evidence has been presented after the commission co-chair Sesi Baloyi put Johnson’s testimony to him. Johnson consistently conveyed that she was unaware of any internal objections to the prosecutions.

 Serunye vehemently rejected that account and expressed that Johnson had not been truthful in her account. Serunye’s testimony also adds to the variety of contradictions that had been piling up before the commission, which is investigating the handling of the crime intelligence prosecutions that ultimately collapsed. 

 Serunye’s account is similar to that of Drushantha Ramsamy, who had also testified that there was no truth to Johnson’s testimony and that the concerns surrounding the cases regarding Mokwele and Lushaba had been raised from the beginning. 

Mokwele, who had received her appointment in April 2024 to lead the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence’s Technical Support Services division, had been accused of being unlawfully appointed without proper vetting or qualifications. 

However on the contrary subsequent inquiries confirmed that she possessed the required technical qualifications. Lushaba currently faces charges regarding perjury as well as defeating the ends of justice and conspiracy relating to alleged irregular appointments.