DA says Batohi's tenure as NPA boss has been disappointing

JOHANNESBURG - With National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Shamila Batohi set to retire in January, Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson for justice Glynis Breytenbach said her tenure has been disappointing.

One of Batohi's main objectives when she took office in 2019 was to ensure the successful prosecution of individuals accused of state capture.

But many of these cases have since been mishandled by the NPA.

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Some of the state capture-related cases the NPA has mishandled include those involving Ace Magashule’s former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, and ex-Eskom executive Matshela Koko.

Breytenbach said she had higher expectations for Batohi.

“It’s disappointing. In fairness, we all hoped she would be a clean broom, and she has done a lot of work to turn the organisation around internally. 

“She tried very hard to change the internal culture of the NPA. It’s not a one-woman job. It depends on some of her senior staff, and some of them are people like Andrew Chauke. So, it becomes an impossible task."

Batohi has, however, been vocal about some of the challenges facing the NPA.

Two years ago, she urged the president to act against Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Andrew Chauke, who was accused of enabling state capture.

But it was only last week that they suspended Chauke, citing concerns over his fitness for office.

Most recently, Chauke dropped the fraud and corruption charges against former African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Zizi Kodwa, which were also linked to state capture.