Former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride said his discussion with National Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams was about people of mixed race and police corruption.
Responding to questions at the Ad Hoc Committee probing allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner on Wednesday, McBride confirmed knowing Adams.
“Yeah definitely, I like him. I only got to know him last year. He is a guy that appears to be fighting against corruption,” he said.
Adams sparked the investigation by the Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) into Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo and other senior officers at Crime Intelligence.
After complaining about irregularities in the Crime Intelligence to the national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, he lodged a complaint with IDAC in the form of an affidavit in November 2024 and IDAC head, Advocate Andrea Johnson, authorised the investigation the following month.
McBride said he had wanted to reach out to meet Adams, who agreed to a meeting.
“He took a photo and I think he put it on social media. I am quite happy with that,” he said.
“I got criticised by some of my comrades because our politics are different. If you have a drive to fight corruption, I will work with you too, regardless of what my colleagues think,” said McBride when he was responding to EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys.
The former IPID boss said his discussion with Adams was about his view that people of mixed race, especially of Khoi descent, should keep viewing themselves as Africans rather than a smaller enclave.
“His approach is that mix race people have been marginalised from all sides so they need to stand up for themselves and get organised.”
Responding to further questions from DA MP Ian Cameron, McBride said they also spoke about police corruption.
“That is what attracted me to him, his determination to fight police corruption,” he said.
“I would dare say that Adams like honourable member, who brought the so-called cellphone records, live in townships ravaged by violence and seem to have been forgotten and all have suffered tragedies very close to them about drug and gang issues,” he said, adding that the issues have not been attended to sufficiently.
McBride said he did not get into party politics.
“I do understand when people make a point and the point is valid. I will put aside my political differences or political orientation and give then my ear.
“If people feel marginalised and uncared for they will not participate in democratic process and that means they continue being marginalised because they no longer have a say. Those are matters we discussed. My view is always don’t de-Africanise yourself,” he said.
Cameron noted a lot of classified information about Crime Intelligence was made public by Adams and that people were trying to determine where it came from after the MP initially claimed he was given it by a member of SAPS and then changed the explanation to say it was pushed under his door.
He asked McBride whether he had a role in sharing the classified information Adams made public about Crime Intelligence.
“I have no clue about that. I have no idea about what the issue he is dealing with or anything like that. I have not even asked him,” said McBride.
