Madlanga Rebukes Fadiel Adams Over Delayed Statement: ‘Take The Commission Seriously’

Retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga has reprimanded suspended MP Fadiel Adams after the National Coloured Congress leader took several months to submit a sworn statement to the commission. Fadiel Adams made a brief appearance before the commission on Tuesday, but his testimony was postponed until 19 August to allow evidence leaders and commissioners to study his statement. The commission had been seeking the document from Adams since 3 October last year, but it was only submitted shortly after 9pm on Monday.

Fadiel Adams Explains Delay In Commission Statement

Fadiel Adams blamed the lengthy delay on problems with his parliamentary laptop, telling the commission that the device had prevented him from receiving important emails. He said the laptop was frequently either being repaired or frozen, forcing him to depend on telephone calls and colleagues for information about his work. Adams also confirmed that he had become aware of emails from the commission about three to four months ago.

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“Parliament can confirm that I have a very problematic laptop. It is either in for repairs or frozen,” Adams said.

The suspended MP said he had also believed the commission would send him additional questions because his name had featured several times during earlier testimony. He explained that he eventually realised he was not going to receive a subpoena and decided to contact the commission himself. “Eventually I realised that I wasn’t going to get a subpoena and that is why I emailed the commission,” he said.

Madlanga Challenges Fadiel Adams Over Laptop Explanation

Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga was unconvinced by Adams’ explanation and questioned how the MP could effectively carry out his parliamentary responsibilities if he could not reliably use his laptop.

Madlanga also challenged the suggestion that the technical problems adequately explained why Adams had taken so long to respond to the commission. Madlanga told Adams that his conduct had raised concerns about how seriously he regarded the proceedings.

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“It seems to me that you are not taking this commission seriously,” Madlanga said.

“And starting from now and going forward, you should not treat this commission the way you have thus far. Because everything you've said thus far is just totally unbelievable. I do not believe it.”

“This should mean that you cannot function at Parliament as a parliamentarian.”

Madlanga questioned whether Adams’ explanation was consistent with his ability to perform his duties as an elected representative. He further suggested that failing to engage properly with the commission could also reflect a lack of seriousness towards the people Adams was elected to serve. Fadiel Adams was urged to change his approach going forward.

Madlanga Tells Fadiel Adams To Take Commission Seriously

Madlanga said Adams’ account raised broader concerns about his commitment to the commission and his responsibilities as a public representative. He pointed out that if Adams had been working with a laptop that was consistently unusable, he had nevertheless continued carrying out his parliamentary duties. The judge said the same level of responsibility should apply to Adams’ engagement with the commission.

“If for as long as you suggest is the case, you have been using a laptop that you basically cannot use, you are not taking us as a commission seriously,” Madlanga said.

“And I would dare say, you are not even taking the people that you are supposed to serve seriously.

“Starting from now going forward, you must take this commission seriously.”

Adams’ evidence has now been deferred until 19 August, giving the commissioners and evidence leaders time to consider his recently submitted statement. His appearance comes after months of requests for the sworn document, with the commission now expected to examine its contents before he returns to give evidence.