Batohi adamant she won’t resign despite repeated calls for her head by opposition parties
The NPA head on Tuesday angered the MK Party and the EFF, telling Parliament’s justice portfolio committee that the NPA has been doing a fantastic job, with its overall performance now higher than it’s been for almost five years.
FILE: NPA head, Shamila Batohi, appeared before Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) in Cape Town on 20 November 2024. Picture: Phando Jikelo/Parliament
CAPE TOWN - National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi is adamant she won’t resign despite repeated calls for her head from opposition parties.
Batohi on Tuesday angered the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), telling Parliament’s justice portfolio committee that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been doing a fantastic job, with its overall performance now higher than it’s been for almost five years.
ALSO READ: Political parties split over calls to fire NPA boss Batohi
She was backed by Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi, who was presenting the department’s budget and annual performance plan to the committee.
The MK Party’s Sibonelo Nomvalo said Batohi continuing to lead the NPA would be a serious liability to the proper administration of justice.
He was backed by the EFF’s Rebecca Mohlala, who wanted to know when Batohi plans to quit.
But Batohi dug in her heels, saying the NPA’s general performance indicators now stand at between 75% and 80%, up from 50% four years ago.
She added that the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) had done as much as 50% of the freezing of all assets, recoveries, and deposits into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account in the past four years alone.
“In addition, we are doing exceptionally good work, notwithstanding the Omotoso decision, but exceptionally good work in dealing with gender-based violence issues in the NPA.”
Batohi went on to say that the NPA had been vindicated by last week’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on the Nulane matter - the first State capture case it enrolled, which was dismissed by the high court.
“I agree, and I concede, there have been about a dozen - 10 to 12 - cases that the NPA has come in for a lot of flak on. I urge that we consider these cases individually and look at where the actual problem is.”
Outraged members of Parliament (MPs) accused Batohi of lying and misleading the committee, saying she must explain her televised comments two weeks ago that the NPA had been infiltrated.