DA introduces Twenty-First Amendment Bill to create Anti-Corruption Commission

CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has introduced a new “anti-corruption bill" to Parliament, which will create another Chapter Nine institution.

The party said the Constitution's Twenty-First Amendment Bill seeks to introduce an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), independent from the justice minister and the president.

The commission will be an independent Chapter Nine institution focusing solely on investigating and prosecuting serious corruption cases.

The anti-corruption bill has been introduced by the Democratic Alliance's justice spokesperson, Glynnis Breytenbach.

She said in a statement on Sunday that as promised in the DA’s 2024 election manifesto, the bill seeks to introduce an Anti-Corruption Commission.

Breytenbach said that currently, “the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is the only institution with the power to prosecute those accused of serious corruption and high-level organised crime.

"In practice, however, the NPA lacks the institutional independence or the resources to effectively prosecute these complex crimes," said Breytenbach.

She said that the ACC would be both "institutionally and operationally independent" from the justice minister, with its own staff and budget.