Madlanga commissioner Sandile Khumalo targeted in campaign of threats and intimidation

Advocates for Transformation (AFT) said there has been an escalating pattern of threats and intimidation directed at advocate Sandile Khumalo, one of the commissioners at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. In a statement issued on Tuesday, AFT said Khumalo, the organisation's chairperson, advocate Myron Dewrance SC, as well as members of Dewrance's family and friends, have been targeted through threatening communications sent from multiple cellphone numbers. The organisation said it had deliberately refrained from making the threats public but decided to speak out because the threats have become increasingly aggressive and had escalated to include explicit threats of sexual violence. According to AFT, the threatening messages repeatedly mention both Dewrance and Khumalo, invoke the organisation by name and, in some cases, claim knowledge of the locations, workplaces and movements of those being targeted. It said all available evidence has been preserved. Threats linked to past disciplinary proceedings AFT said the matter extends beyond a dispute involving individual advocates and reflects a broader pattern of intimidation against prosecutors, lawyers, investigators and other justice officials in South Africa. The organisation warned that attacks on those responsible for administering justice ultimately undermine the rule of law. AFT said its preliminary enquiries indicate that the apparent grievance behind the threats may be connected to disciplinary proceedings involving a member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA), who had been charged with serious professional misconduct. It said that at the time, Khumalo chaired the JSA's Professional Committee and served on the JSA Bar Council after being nominated by AFT. According to the organisation, the threatening communications repeatedly blame Khumalo for what occurred during those disciplinary proceedings, instruct Dewrance and members of his family to 'blame Sandile', and make repeated references to AFT, its members and its leadership. AFT said the apparent targeting of Dewrance cannot be separated from his position as the organisation's National Chairperson, while the threats directed at Khumalo are inseparable from the professional responsibilities he carried out. The organisation stressed that its enquiries remain preliminary and that it is not accusing the advocate who was the subject of the disciplinary proceedings, the JSA or any identified individual of responsibility for the threats. 'It is a matter for further investigation,' the statement said. Call to protect justice officials Calling for stronger protection for justice officials, AFT said threats and intimidation must be confronted before they escalate into assassinations. The organisation said it would not allow threats against its leadership, representatives or their families to influence whom it nominates to serve the profession, the positions it adopts or the work it undertakes. AFT added that it would pursue every lawful avenue to protect those affected and to ensure those responsible for the threats are identified and held accountable, while declining to comment further on operational or investigative aspects of the matter to protect those involved and preserve the integrity of any ongoing investigations. [email protected] IOL News