JOHANNESBURG: President Cyril Ramaphosa has named a respected female lawyer to head South Africa's prosecuting authority which is currently marred with accusations of improperly protecting former president Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa's appointment of Shamila Batohi distances him from his predecessor's scandal-tainted rule. Speaking to the press, he said, “I am confident that the advocate possesses all the attributes of a capable National Director of Public Prosecutions... she has shown herself to be a fit and proper person.”
Appointed as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) is the first female to occupy the role. She is a former prosecutions chief in KwaZulu-Natal province and has served as senior adviser to the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2009. Back in 1995, she was part of a high-level team appointed by Nelson Mandela to investigate apartheid-era hit squads. Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said, “This is not just a political appointment. Perhaps it's a sign that may we, as South Africa, appreciate the ICC and are rethinking our position on the ICC.”
Batohi's predecessor Shaun Abrahams, or 'Shaun the Sheep' as he was known for his slavish loyalty to Zuma, was in the dying days of his tenure when he decided to reinstate the graft charges that Zuma now seeks to have dropped. Abrahams was forced out after a court ruled that his initial appointment to the job was invalid. Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said, “As we address matters that South Africans are most concerned about, such as state capture, corruption and widespread crime, our country needs a National Prosecuting Authority that is above reproach.”
The Office of the NPA has seen an insulting decline in public confidence over the years, and it now depends on Batohi how she brings peace to a largely frustrated South African populace. She has a mammoth task on her hands as she takes over an office that was plagued with corruption for the last few years, towards the end of Zuma's presidency. “The NDPP in our country occupies a vital position in democracy, and makes an essential contribution in upholding the rule of law and ensuring the integrity of law enforcement,” Ramaphosa said in appointing her.
“Our country needs an NPA that is above reproach in performance of its mandate. The NDPP must ensure that it exercises its functions without fear, favour or prejudice and must not be beholden to any vested interest in politics or business,” He added. Speaking about her appointment, Batohi said, “South Africans have bestowed a lot of confidence in me, and I need to reciprocate that confidence. I will strive to serve with the best interest of our society at heart. Our challenges have always existed and will continue to exist. Your NDPP stands with you and together, we stand for justice, and the nation.”
