Johnson was grilled about public submissions alleging conflicts of interest and ethical concerns.
Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Andrea Johnson found herself under intense scrutiny during her interview for the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) position on Wednesday.
Johnson – formerly a senior prosecutor – was the final candidate interviewed on the first day of the selection process to replace outgoing NDPP Shamila Batohi.
The interviews, scheduled over two days, are being conducted at the Auditor-General’s offices in Pretoria.
Idac head Andrea Johnson interviewed for NDPP post
As she took her place before an advisory panel, Johnson acknowledged the wave of negative public submissions about her candidacy.
She admitted that the majority of the 209 comments submitted about her nomination were critical.
“I do accept the comments,” she told the panel.
Prior to leading Idac – established as a permanent National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) unit in August 2024 – Johnson supervised a group of roughly 20 to 30 prosecutors, investigators, and analysts.
She also previously supervised around seven staff members in the organised crime division at the DPP’s Pretoria office.
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Now responsible for 128 employees at Idac – with 33 vacancies still to be filled – Johnson described herself as “too much of a people person”, noting that this approach has generally served her well.
She emphasised that leadership is rooted in knowing one’s team well.
“I am consultative. We must talk to one another to down, bottom up,” she said, adding that understanding staff strengths and weaknesses is essential to effective leadership.
She rejected claims that consultative managers are necessarily indecisive.
Complaint escalated to the minister
Johnson told the panel that she has never been suspended or subjected to disciplinary action.
She revealed, however, that she received a letter on Tuesday informing her that a complaint against her had been escalated to the NPA’s ethics office, which then forwarded the matter to Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
“The ethics office looked at it and said they will not be conducting a pre-investigation. The matter is referred to the office of the minister,” Johnson explained.
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Johnson was also challenged about her longstanding membership in a labour union, which dates back to 2000.
She insisted she had never made use of her membership, apart from having union dues deducted from her salary.
She said she had been unaware that occupying a leadership position in a state institution prohibits union membership.
“I have never used it. It’s there. I do understand my responsibilities forming part of management where I am an employer and I’ll make sure, if that is an issue, it must be rectified.”
Addressing performance concerns
Turning to criticisms of Idac’s performance, Johnson pointed out that when the Investigating Directorate (ID) was established in 2019, it lacked permanent status.
When she took over from former ID head Hermione Cronje in 2022, the directorate had only 22 criminal investigators handling a heavy case load.
She acknowledged shortcomings in case readiness, particularly after the corruption case against former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko was struck off the roll.
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“We have been challenged and criticised and legitimately so,” she said, conceding that Koko’s case was enrolled too early.
Johnson stressed that Idac has since ring-fenced cases to avoid endless investigations.
“These are cases that affect people’s lives, and when we are accused of prematurely enrolling, it does not bode well.”
Conflict of interest allegations
Johnson also addressed concerns about listing City of Ekurhuleni head of legal services Kemi Behari — who was recently suspended — as a reference in her CV.
She said she had known Behari for more than 35 years and informed him that she would remove him as a reference.
“The suspension happened after the nomination and CV submission, but I did tell him I have to remove him.”
Later in the interview, Johnson was questioned about public submissions alleging conflicts of interest and ethical concerns.
One comment claimed she had been “compromised” and “cannot be trusted” to serve as NDPP.
These criticisms were linked to her testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee in November, which is investigating criminal infiltration of the country’s security structures.
It emerged during those hearings that she played a role in her husband Junaid Johnson’s appointment while she worked at the Directorate of Special Operations (the Scorpions), which was disbanded in 2009.
Her husband now works for the police’s Crime Intelligence division.
On Wednesday, Johnson insisted she had disclosed the relationship and stepped back from key stages of the process.
“I did physically recuse myself from the shortlisting, the actual interview and the adjudication.”
She conceded, however, that she should have removed herself from the entire process.
“It was misjudgment. I had no intention to misrepresent anything,” she said.
“I am saying I accept. How it looks is no good. I cannot change what I did.”
