Justice ministry moves IDAC briefing to Pretoria after Advocate Andrea Johnson resigns

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has moved today’s media briefing on the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption to GCIS Tshedimosetso House at 1030 Francis Baard Street in Pretoria. The briefing was previously scheduled for the National Prosecuting Authority headquarters. The time is unchanged at 17h00 on Thursday, 30 July 2026.

The department said the briefing follows the resignation of Advocate Andrea Johnson, the former head of IDAC. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi and the National Director of Public Prosecutions will lead it.

The stated purpose is to give clarity on key developments and to ensure continuity and stability in the directorate while processes to address the leadership vacancy are under way. The department also said the briefing will reaffirm the commitment of the ministry and the National Prosecuting Authority to keep IDAC operationally effective, to maintain institutional stability, and to reinforce public confidence in the country’s anti-corruption efforts.

The document issued today is a media advisory, not the record of the briefing itself. It sets out the venue, the time, the speakers and the purpose. It does not name a successor, does not set a date for an appointment, and does not describe the operational steps the directorate has taken since the resignation.

What the change of venue signals

The shift from the NPA’s own headquarters to the government communication service’s press room in Pretoria is an administrative change. The department gave no reason for it. What it does confirm is that the briefing is going ahead on the same day and at the same hour, with both the minister and the NDPP present.

That pairing matters. IDAC sits inside the prosecuting authority but answers to a mandate set in law, and its work runs across departments, provinces and courts. A briefing led by the political head of the justice portfolio together with the country’s most senior prosecutor is the structure the state uses when it wants to speak about the directorate as an institution rather than about a single case.

The vacancy and the work that continues

Advocate Andrea Johnson’s resignation as head of IDAC is the event that prompted the briefing. The department’s own wording is that processes to address the leadership vacancy are under way. No timeline is attached to those processes in today’s statement.

For the public, the practical question is what happens to matters already before the directorate. The department’s answer, in its own words, is continuity and stability, and the maintenance of operational effectiveness. Readers following specific matters will want to watch for the detail behind those phrases, because a leadership change at a prosecuting body touches timelines, court diaries and the handover of files.

What to watch for after 17h00

The briefing is set for the Ronnie Mamoepa Press Room at Tshedimosetso House. Media wishing to attend have been asked to confirm with Phindi Mjonondwane. Enquiries are directed to Palesa Rammitlwa, spokesperson to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, on 064 933 3628, and to Kaizer Kganyago, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, on 082 306 8888.

The statement was issued by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development of the Republic of South Africa. It is available.