Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara has been appointed Acting Head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), taking over the country’s specialist anti-corruption unit following the resignation of Advocate Andrea Johnson.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi made the appointment in consultation with National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Andy Mothibi.
Vanara will serve in an acting capacity until a permanent head is appointed. He joins IDAC on secondment from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), where he currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel.
The Justice Ministry said Vanara brings more than 25 years of experience in legal, governance and regulatory leadership across state institutions, state-owned enterprises, Parliament and other highly regulated environments.
His career includes senior positions at Parliament and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, where he previously served as Group Executive: Legal, Governance and Regulatory.
He has also held senior responsibilities in pension fund, audit and risk, ethics and governance structures.
Vanara holds a B Proc qualification from Vista University, as well as LLB and LLM degrees from the University of the Free State.
In his current SIU role, he provides strategic legal leadership in areas including civil litigation and asset recovery, corporate legal services, legal support to investigations and legal compliance management.
His appointment places an experienced legal and investigations specialist at the helm of an institution that has been under intense scrutiny in recent months.
Vanara replaces Johnson, who resigned as IDAC head in July after her position came under scrutiny during her evidence before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted Johnson’s request to vacate office with immediate effect on 27 July, following recommendations from Kubayi and Mothibi.
Johnson’s resignation came while the commission was examining allegations and evidence concerning IDAC’s handling of matters involving Crime Intelligence.
The commission’s official record shows that Johnson testified over several days in July. Her evidence included questions about IDAC’s handling of a corruption case involving senior Crime Intelligence figures and the directorate’s decision-making around investigations.
The resignation did not end the commission’s interest in Johnson. She remained under subpoena and was expected to deal with issues arising from evidence presented during the inquiry.
Her departure created a leadership vacancy at an institution responsible for some of South Africa’s most sensitive corruption investigations.
Vanara’s appointment comes as IDAC continues to establish itself as a permanent part of South Africa’s criminal justice architecture.
IDAC was created through amendments to the National Prosecuting Authority Act and replaced the Investigating Directorate established in 2019.
Unlike its predecessor, IDAC was designed as a permanent prosecution-led structure within the National Prosecuting Authority, with criminal investigative powers.
Its statutory mandate includes investigating serious, high-profile and complex corruption, commercial and financial crime cases, including matters arising from commissions of inquiry. It can also, where appropriate, institute criminal proceedings arising from those investigations.
The NPA has described the establishment of IDAC as a move intended to give the country a permanent and adequately empowered institution capable of pursuing complex corruption cases.
The unit inherited matters from the former Investigating Directorate, including cases linked to recommendations arising from the State Capture Commission.
The NPA’s 2024/25 annual report recorded that IDAC instituted investigations in 17 matters and enrolled nine matters during that financial year. It also acknowledged challenges in building permanent investigative capacity, including difficulties in recruiting experienced criminal and financial investigators.
Vanara is not new to high-profile investigations involving allegations of corruption and state capture.
He gained national prominence during parliamentary inquiries into state-owned enterprises.
He served as an evidence leader during major parliamentary inquiries, including the inquiry into the fitness of the SABC board and the Eskom inquiry into state capture and maladministration.
That background could prove significant as IDAC continues dealing with complex cases involving public institutions, politically connected individuals and allegations arising from commissions of inquiry.
His experience also comes at a time when the government is attempting to strengthen the institutional response to corruption.
In February, the Justice Ministry announced that a new independent complaints and oversight mechanism for IDAC would come into operation from 1 March 2026. The mechanism allows for complaints concerning serious violations of rights by IDAC investigators, as well as complaints by investigators about political interference, improper influence, obstruction or other hindrances to their work.
Retired Judge Takalani Joseph Raulinga was appointed to lead that oversight mechanism for a single five-year term.
The development was presented by government as an additional accountability layer for the permanent anti-corruption body.
The Justice Ministry said Kubayi had expressed full confidence in Vanara’s ability to carry out his new responsibilities with integrity and conscientiousness.
His immediate challenge will be to provide stability to IDAC following Johnson’s departure while maintaining the momentum of investigations and prosecutions under the directorate’s mandate.
The appointment also comes at a sensitive moment for South Africa’s anti-corruption institutions, with the Madlanga Commission continuing to examine allegations concerning policing, intelligence and the country’s criminal justice system.
For IDAC, Vanara’s appointment represents both a change in leadership and a test of whether the directorate can restore confidence while pursuing complex corruption cases without fear or favour.
