Ramaphosa filling top positions at NPA is an important step, says Batohi
More than six months after three of the most powerful positions at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) became vacant, President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally filled two of them and appointed two senior advocates in a move that is critical to strengthening its ability to tackle crime and corruption.
The appointments come amid rising frustration about the lack of high-profile prosecutions after years of state capture corruption that led to a decade of low growth and the destruction of state-owned enterprises.
For years, the NPA has been mired in controversy, as it has been seen as being politically abused, especially under the presidency of Jacob Zuma.
When he rose to the office in 2018, Ramaphosa made cleaning up and strengthening the organisation a pillar of his reform agenda, appointing Shamila Batohi as its boss.
The positions of deputy national directors of public prosecutions became vacant late in 2019, with the retirements of Silas Ramaite and Willie Hofmeyr, and the axing of Nomgcobo Jiba following an inquiry into her fitness to hold high office.
The appointments of Ouma Rabaji-Rasethaba and Rodney de Kock as deputy national directors of public prosecutions are effective from June 1.
In another senior appointment, Mthunzi Mhaga, the former NPA spokesperson, becomes a special director of public prosecutions in the office of the national director of public prosecutions.
De Kock will be responsible for the national prosecutions service. Rabaji-Rasethaba will oversee the asset forfeiture unit.
Another deputy who would be responsible for strategy, operations and compliance still had to be appointed, said Batohi.
Appointing the relevant people to the positions is significant as it creates a gap for Ramaphosa to appoint deputies in the NPA that Batohi can trust.
Batohi took the reins of the NPA in February 2019, after a public interview process in December 2018.
Interviewees told the panel the factions in the NPA arose at the level of the deputies.
“These appointments mark an important step in the new trajectory of the NPA,” Batohi said in a statement on Monday.
She said they would bring vital stability and support for her as she now leads the NPA with a permanent team at the highest level of the organisation.
“This adds much-needed impetus to the NPA’s work to become a courageous and forward-looking institution, with the ability to address the serious challenges facing SA,” Batohi said.
The NPA can have as many as four deputies.
The new appointments were made in consultation with Batohi and justice minister Ronald Lamola.
“These appointments are essential for the efficient functioning and rebuilding of the NPA as part of the fight against crime and corruption and as a contribution to deepening the capability of the state,” the presidency said in a statement on Monday.
The presidency said RabajiRasethaba brought at least 30 years of legal experience since her admission as an attorney in 1990, and as an advocate six years later.
She holds a B Proc degree from the University of the North and an LLB from Wits University among other qualifications.
Rabaji-Rasethaba is a governance and risk expert, having worked in the corporate sector for 10 years.
De Kock has been director of public prosecutions in the Western Cape since 2003. He had 32 years of relevant legal experience, with 15 of those spent at an executive level in the NPA, the presidency said.
Mhaga will be the strategic and legal adviser in the office of the national director.
The presidency said Mhaga would provide legal advice to the national director regarding specific legal and administrative issues; provide strategic inputs in matters brought before the national director, and will manage the relationship between the office of the national director and NPA stakeholders.
Mhaga previously worked in the NPA in a variety of roles, including as a senior state advocate in the specialised commercial crimes unit, the priority crimes litigation unit and as a member of the now defunct Scorpions.