Mr Bateman filed an affidavit and testified regarding interactions with Adv Johnson after becoming aware of the investigation, resulting in the docket coming to Adv Johnson.
“d o e s t h a t i n c l u d e t h e t e s t i m o n y a b o u t y o u r i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h M r B a t e m a n , a n d t h e r e i s t w o p a r t s t o i t ? T h e r e i s t h e f i r s t , w h i c h r e s u l t s i n t h e d o c k e t c o m i n g t o y o u , a n d t h e n t h e r e i s t h e s e c o n d p a r t w h e r e h e s a y s y o u h a v e c a l l e d h i m , h e h a s f i l e d a n a ff i d a v i t , h e s p o k e t o y o u , I m e a n r a t h e r y o u s p o k e t o h i m a f t e r a l l o f t h i s h a d c o m e o u t , w h e n y o u b e c a m e a w a r e o f t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n .”
Advocate Johnson called Mr Bateman in June 2022 to assure him they were still friends and that the Hawks were going to come to him, but Mr Bateman became sick after that.
“... subsequent getting a call from Advocate Johnson telling him we know , do not worry , we are still friends . The Hawks is going to come to you . What we understood was he became sick .”
The delay of four years in getting Mr Bateman's statement was partly because there was no prosecutor at the time to process it and to convince the witness to give the statement and trust them again.
“I think my biggest issue was that we did not have a prosecutor at the time . And for me to go back to the witness and say I want your statement , I must be able , I must be in the position to tell him yes , indeed , we have prosecutor , we will proceed . I must try and convince him now again to give me that statement and trust us again .”
Mr Bateman received a voice recording and pictures of an affidavit from Brigadier Petle of the South African Police Service in July 2018, and sent this information to Johnson on the same day, 3 July 2018.
“In July 2018 , a voice recording and pictures of an affidavit deposed to by Brigadier Petle of the South African Police Service were sent to me ... I received the information and sent it to Johnson on the same day, 3 July 2018 .”
On 7 September 2022, Advocate Johnson approached the witness and revealed knowledge of the Colonel's affidavit and had spoken to Mr Bateman before meeting the witness.
“On 7 September 2022 , Advocate Johnson approached me at work , I was still at IDAC at the time , and asked me to see her in her office . ... Advocate Johnson told me she had been called by Advocate Batohi 's office , who informed her of the Colonel 's affidavit and the allegations against her, Advocate Johnson, contained therein. ... She also informed me that she spoke to Mr Bateman before meeting with me, and told Mr Bateman not to worry.”
Advocate Batohi's conduct toward Advocate Johnson was similar to what Advocate Johnson had done for General Khan.
“In other words, Advocate Batohi is doing exactly the same as what Advocate Johnson did for General Khan. Colonel Roelofse, who told me that Advocate Johnson told him that she spoke to Mr Bateman before meeting him with Colonel Roelofse, and that told Barry Bateman not to worry.”
After Colonel Roelofse retired at the end of January 2025, Captain McLean obtained a statement from Mr Bateman on 23 June 2026 and opined that Mr Bateman was downplaying the seriousness of Advocate Johnson's conduct by claiming he saw nothing unusual.
“After Colonel Roelofse retired at the end of January 2025, the docket was assigned to me. On the 23rd of June 2026, I finally obtained a statement from Mr Bateman. My opinion of Mr Bateman's statement is that he is trying to downplay the series of Advocate Johnson's conduct. ... the seriousness of Advocate Johnson's conduct by saying that he saw nothing unusual about sending the information to Advocate Johnson and that he had no reason to question her integrity or intentions.”
The forwarding of the Colonel's affidavit to General Khan is seen as a subtle warning not to assist in the investigation, effectively limiting further support from the witness due to concern for career and safety.
“it took us four years to evenutally get Bateman's statement... that call did in fact play a role in him not finalising his affidavit... It is a very subtle way to tell someone not to assist in an investigation... I had a huge problem with the situation... I am not going to risk the Colonel's career and life...”
Advocate Johnson had spoken to Mr Bateman about the Colonel's affidavit before the Colonel met with Advocate Johnson, and Mr Leask informed the Colonel of this conversation in early September 2022.
“I had already been informed that Advocate Johnson had spoken to Mr Bateman about the Colonel's affidavit... Mr Leask informed me of the conversation between Mr Bateman and Advocate Johnson...”
Mr Leask told the Colonel that Mr Bateman sent a WhatsApp message to Advocate Gerrie Nel following his conversations with Advocate Johnson on 5 September 2022.
“Mr Leask told me that Mr Bateman sent a WhatsApp message to Advocate Gerrie Nel after his conversation with Advocate Johnson on 5 September.”
Advocate Johnson asked Mr Bateman to move their communication from WhatsApp to Signal, as indicated in a screenshot from Mr Bateman's phone from 5 September 2022.
“It is a screenshot or a photo that I took of, I think it is Mr Bateman's phone, with the request by Advocate Johnson to go to Signal.”
On 7 September 2022, COL ROELOFSE met with Advocate Johnson and then with Mr Leask, receiving forwarded WhatsApp exchanges between Bateman, Advocate Johnson and Advocate Nel before meeting Mr Leask.
“on 7 September 2022 , I would have met Mr Leask after my meeting with Advocate Johnson . I do recall that Mr Leask sent the WhatsApp exchange between Bateman and Advocate Johnson and Advocate Nel before I went to meet him”
Mr Bateman, a journalist, was not entitled to possess or publicize the docket documents, and Ms Johnson should have known this and not shared it with the suspect in an assault complaint.
“Mr Bateman was not entitled to that document . So it is not part of the public domain . ... Ms Johnson should have known that when she received it from him and she should not have shared it with the suspect in the assault complaint ?”
Mr Bateman received email attachments on 3 July 2018 via WhatsApp from an undisclosed source and complied with Advocate Andrea Johnson's request for a statement, J88 and audio file on the same day.
“Mr Bateman informed us that he received the email attachments on the 3rd of July 018 via WhatsApp from a source that he was not willing to disclose ... Advoca te Andrea Johnson ... requested the information from him ... he complied with the request on the same day”
Mr Bateman had a very good relationship with Advocate Andrea Johnson going back to 2011 and saw nothing untoward about her request for information.
“Mr Bateman also stated that he had a very good relationship with Advocate Johnson going back to 2011 ... He saw nothing untoward about Johnson's request”
Mr Bateman received a WhatsApp message from a source on 3 July 2018 sending an audio clip regarding an incident between General Khan and Brigadier Petley involving assault and intimidation.
“Mr Bateman's message ... What is this about ? ... A n d h i s m e s s a g e i s : A General Khan and Brig Petley ... A n incident between them . He allegedly also assaulted her with a pen . Case was opened , assault and intimidation .”
Mr Bateman confirmed he provided documentation and WhatsApp messages to Advocate Andrea Johnson but could not recall why the information was requested.
“he did not deny that he provided the documentation and the Whats Apps ... he confirmed it was asked by Advocate Johnson ... but he could not remember as to why it was asked from him”
Mr Bateman did not have the information at the time of the request from Advocate Andrea Johnson but received the attachments later that day and sent them to her in the evening.
“He gets the audio recording at 11.08 ... if she requested it from him to obtain it , she did not have it at the time she made the request ... He only sends it at 6.00 in the evening”