Batohi unfit for office

It is appropriate that the national director of public prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, had the good grace to blush when questioned during her “Woman’s Day webinar” about her year of passivity in the face of the damning De Kock report of June 2019.

Two senior prosecutors were exposed as criminals; “saboteurs” involved in the conspiracy to spike the guns of Johan Booysen, retired head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal. This high-level malfeasance was perpetrated to protect friends of Jacob Zuma involved in state capture.

The excuse proffered by a blushing Batohi is that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is awaiting the report of the Zondo commission. What nonsense! De Kock has unearthed ample evidence justifying disciplinary proceedings and the Zondo records are open to the NPA. Zondo’s findings and recommendations will bind no-one, least of all the crooks involved.

It is notorious that commissions of inquiry are used by the executive branch to “park” political hot potatoes. It does not behove the NPA to follow suit. The Nel commission’s report appeared ages after the Masterbond skelms under its investigation were successfully prosecuted by an attorney-general with a fine-tuned understanding of the efficiency and independence requirements of the onerous job currently held by Batohi.

She must face an inquiry into her fitness for office or fall on her sword if she is not prepared to start disciplinary proceedings against colleagues she is sheltering in her North West offices.

Paul Hoffman, SC Accountability Now

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