‘New NPA head must get rid of rotten apples’
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says newly appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi has a difficult task ahead of her restoring the integrity and work of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Batohi’s appointment on Tuesday, stating that he believes she is the right person to turn the NPA around.
“Her immediate challenge is to reform the NPA itself, which she has described as a house on fire and said that her position would be like a shark tank. At the same time as cleaning out the rot which has corrupted and paralysed the NPA during under Zuma and the Guptas, she faces the no less daunting challenges of prosecuting all those involved in corruption and looting public institutions, and bringing down the high levels of crime and gangsterism,” says Saftu spokesperson Patrick Craven.
Batohi, who is the first woman to hold the position of NDPP, issued a warning on Tuesday, saying she won’t tolerate those who seek to frustrate the work of the NPA.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) spokesperson Sizwe Pamla says Batohi’s first priority should be a clean-up inside the prosecuting authority.
“She needs to make sure she needs a team of dedicated people with integrity who are clear about their role and will not be compromised. She will not succeed if she does not have a formidable team. She needs to ensure that she gets rid of the bad apples inside the intuition.”