National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams was arrested on 5 May 2026 by the Political Killings Task Team for allegedly interfering in the investigation into the 2017 murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa. Police confirmed they hold a J50 warrant related to fraud and obstructing justice charges. Adams described the charges as trumped up.
On Tuesday, 5 May 2026, Fadiel Adams was arrested at the Parliamentary Village and taken to a police station. The arrest followed police requests for him to present himself, which he failed to do on 4 May despite arrangements through his legal representative.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe stated that investigations revealed Adams interfered with the now-convicted hitman Sibusiso Ncengwa at an advanced stage of the probe into Magaqa’s killing. “Through investigations, the task team discovered that Mr Adams interfered with the now convicted and sentenced hitman at a very sensitive and advanced stage of the police’s investigation,” Mathe said.
The interference allegedly occurred in March 2026, when Adams told a Parliamentary ad hoc committee that the hitman had confessed to him. He claimed a serving police sergeant introduced him to the inmate and accused SAPS of escorting killers to the scene while Crime Intelligence supplied the AK-47.
Magaqa, then a councillor in Umzimkhulu Local Municipality, was shot and killed in 2017; two other councillors survived. In July 2025, Ncengwa received 25 years’ imprisonment and implicated co-conspirators, including former municipal manager Stanley Sikhosana.
Hanif Loonat, a National Coloured Congress member, posted on social media: “It’s clear that they want to get Fadiel to Durban to physically deal with him. This is to silence him.” Adams’ claims align with testimony from Witness E at the Madlanga Commission in January 2026.
