DA backs Vanara’s appointment but declares IDAC ‘too compromised’ to fight corruption

He will serve as Acting Head of IDAC until a permanent appointment is made, following Advocate Andrea Johnson's resignation. The DA has cautiously welcomed Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara’s appointment as Acting Head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), but insists acting roles must be brief and warns the body itself is too compromised to lead South Africa’s anti‑corruption fight. Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, in consultation with the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Andy Mothibi, announced Vanara’s appointment last week. Acting He will serve as Acting Head of IDAC until a permanent appointment is made, following Advocate Andrea Johnson’s resignation. He previously served as Group Executive: Legal, Governance and Regulatory at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and held senior leadership positions in Parliament and various governance structures. Corruption DA spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development, Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach, said that, given the “uncertainty and serious challenges that have surrounded IDAC,” it is important that the institution has leadership and that there is accountability for its operations. “Acting appointments should be kept brief and should not become a substitute for permanent leadership. Prolonged-acting appointments create uncertainty, undermine institutional stability, and can contribute to an institution losing focus and direction. The fight against corruption cannot afford further institutional drift. “More fundamentally, however, the DA remains of the view that IDAC itself has become too deeply compromised to provide the credible, independent anti-corruption machinery that South Africa requires,” Breytenbach said. Independence Breytenbach said South Africa needs an anti-corruption body that has the independence, resources, investigative capacity, and public credibility necessary to pursue corruption wherever it occurs – including within the highest levels of government and the criminal justice system. “While we cautiously welcome the appointment of Adv Vanara, we will judge his tenure by its actions and outcomes, not simply by the appointment itself. “The DA will continue to exercise rigorous parliamentary oversight over IDAC and the broader criminal justice system,” Breytenbach said. Vanara career Vanara holds a B. Proc from Vista University, as well as LLB and LLM degrees from the University of the Free State. Currently Chief Legal Counsel at the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Vanara provides strategic leadership in civil litigation, asset recovery, corporate legal services, and compliance management. He will join IDAC on a secondment basis and assume his new responsibilities with immediate effect.