Crisis at NPA: Ramaphosa to meet Batohi for clarity
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / African News AGency (ANA)
IOL and Staff Reporter
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Shamila Batohi to a high-level meeting following her recent remarks accusing prosecutors within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of grave violations.
Last week Batohi, responding to criticism over several embarrassing defeats in high-profile cases, said there had been "infiltration" of the prosecution service, but later backtracked, saying she had used the wrong term and instead that certain cases were being deliberately sabotaged.
Her remarks have raised serious doubts regarding the independence and integrity of South Africa's legal system.
Ramaphosa sees the meeting as an important chance for Batohi to clarify the scope of the purported infiltration and to thoroughly express her concerns.
'The NDPP did make that statement and she later said she used the wrong word about the infiltration. I'm going to have a meeting with her so that she can really download and take off the chest some of the challenges,' Ramaphosa told journalists at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School on Tuesday.
He, however, expressed satisfaction with the NPA's work despite the criticism facing the prosecuting authority.
'The NPA has really done considerable work to stabilise itself as well as go on with various prosecutions. Quite often, we look at where there is failure or where there are mistakes, and we think the whole system is not working,' said Ramaphosa.
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The NPA was dealt a major blow in the case against former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule when the court ruled that the extradition from the US of his former PA, Moroadi Colota, was invalid.
The NPA has also been slammed for bungling the case against Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso, who was acquitted on more than 30 charges of sexual assault, while the failure to secure the extradition of the Gupta brothers, nearly a decade after the Gupta Leaks scandal, has raised questions about the authority's effectiveness.
Several parties, including the EFF, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and ActionSA, are demanding accountability, saying if there is sabotage then this happened under Batohi's watch and she should take responsibility by stepping down.
Last week the EFF wrote to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza requesting an urgent debate on what it believes is an institutional crisis at the NPA.
The EFF said Batohi's remarks suggest undue influence is being exerted on the NPA, compromising its ability to secure justice and accountability.
"This is not a casual institutional complaint. It is a constitutional red flag of the highest order," the EFF said.
"An assertion from the NDPP herself that the NPA has been infiltrated should send shockwaves throughout every organ of state."
ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip called for Batohi's immediate removal, citing the NPA's repeated failures in high-profile cases.
"The NPA has become a refuge for politically connected individuals, a place where accountability is avoided, justice is delayed, and prosecutions collapse with shocking regularity.
"Under Batohi's leadership, the NPA reels from one scandal to the next. South Africans are left wondering if these failures are merely a result of incompetence, or is there a deliberate agenda to protect the corrupt,' Trollip said.
The DA has also expressed concerns about the NPA's failures but has stopped short of calling for Batohi's removal. Instead, the party wants Batohi to explain the failures.
Batohi has said that if she felt she was underperforming, then she would step down immediately.
When approached for comment on Tuesday, Batohi's office referred questions to the presidency.
Batohi's term ends in January 2026.
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