Allegations a witch-hunt – Jiba
Jiba claims the allegations against her were part of a witch-hunt
‘IWAS not afraid to go on trial,” said advocate Nomgcobo Jiba yesterday as she hit back at her detractors.
She said they had accused her of committing several transgressions that had compromised the integrity of the country’s highest prosecution authority.
After months of silence in the face of allegations of improper conduct, the former deputy director of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) sought to set the record straight.
She said the accusations had hurt her and her family.
Buoyed by the withdrawal of fraud and perjury charges against her in the Pretoria Commercial Crime Court earlier yesterday, Jiba and her lawyer, Zola Majavu, insisted that the allegations were a witch-hunt orchestrated by certain people in the NPA.
Jiba avoided naming these people but said the NPA and the media had failed her.
She dismissed the allegations that she had dropped criminal charges against former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and that she enjoyed President Jacob Zuma’s support or that she was one of his cronies.
“I have never been biased towards anyone in my decisions. I never helped anybody. I have been accused of working for President Zuma and even the Police Ministry at some point. I don’t work for Zuma. I can’t because I am a prosecutor. I always prosecuted without fear, favour or prejudice.”
Jiba further denied that she was involved in barring the DA from obtaining the so-called spy tapes, which the former NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe had used to drop the corruption charges against Zuma.
“I’ve never handled the spy tapes. The spy tapes were always in the custody of State Security. Where would I keep the spy tapes?”
She criticised media reports claiming the Durban High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal had made damning rulings against her.
According to the reports, the courts had found that she was incompetent to be deputy director of public prosecutions.
Jiba threw down the gauntlet at the media to produce such evidence.
She revealed that she had lodged an appeal against the Durban High Court’s judgment on the matter of KwaZuluNatal Hawks head and member of the Cato Manor Organised Police Crime Unit MajorGeneral Johan Booysen.
She said she was also contesting an application to strike her off the roll of advocates by the General Bar Council of South Africa.
Reacting to the latest decision to withdraw criminal charges against her, Jiba said the initial decision to charge her was flawed.
She said the summons was illegally obtained at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court because the investigating officer, who was supposed to execute it, was in Cape Town.
Majavu said that for a valid summons to be issued, the
I and my family have been hurt by this
investigating officer had to have presented the docket to the clerk of the court.
“Such legal obligations were not met and it was for those reasons that my client (Jiba) questioned the lawfulness of it. She contacted the investigating officer, and he told my client that he was in Cape Town,” Majavu said.
Jiba continued: “Now the media, instead of confirming the facts, called me a diva, saying I refused to accept the summons.”
She was almost in tears as she explained how the “incorrect” media reports had affected her.
“How can I be afraid of a summons? Even criminals are not afraid of a summons. They are afraid of warrants of arrest,” she said.
“I’ve been hurt. I am a human being. I have children – 17 years, 14 years and my princess is two years old. My parents are 81 years old. Everything that happens hurt them, and it hurts me too. I was called a diva.
“It was reported that Jiba has nine lives. I have only one life.”
Jiba said she wanted to challenge the lawfulness of the summons but Majavu had advised her against it.
Both said they had been prepared for the criminal trial but were told on the eve about the decision to withdraw charges.