“Impunity is no longer a given”.
These are the fighting words of National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Shamila Batohi.
She, alongside the National Prosecuting Authority’s executive committee, was addressing a media roundtable on Wednesday.
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“The one big difference between what was the position five years ago and what’s the position now… is that impunity is no longer a given and the Steinhoff matter shows that. Even though it might take long. Even though the arm of the law might be long, it catches up.
“Those that are involved in corrupt activities know – even though there might not be a knock on the door yet – it will come and that in itself is mental incarceration,” she said.
The NDPP said the NPA has been hard at work to bring cases to court against high profile individuals, including former Ministers, Premiers, a former President and “some of the most powerful CEOs and CFOs across the country both in the private sector as well as public”.
“In the last five years, we have almost 700 government officials that have been convicted of corruption in the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit [SCCU] space. In 2023 and 2024, the SCCU achieved 329 convictions in serious and complex commercial crime cases, resulting in a conviction rate of 88.7%.
“The SCCU has enrolled four cases relating to 16 recommendations in the Zondo Commission reports… and several other matters will be ready for enrolment in the coming months.
“The ID [Investigating Directorate] has declared 103 investigations. They’ve enrolled 37 cases involving 208 accused persons as of January 2024."
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Batohi said South Africans need to understand that getting to the judgment stage is a lengthy process led by the judiciary.
“Even when we do bring cases to court, then you have Stalingrad tactics that start. Very often we hear: 'But you don’t have people in orange overalls'.
“But it needs to be understood that once we enrol a case, it needs to move swiftly through the system so that we get to the end where you can say that a decision has been rendered by the judiciary.
“That process in court is led by the judiciary. We’ve been engaging with the Chief Justice [Raymond Zondo] and various Judge Presidents to see how we could actually fast track cases through the court system,” Batohi said.
The NDPP vowed that despite challenges, the NPA will continue to prosecute without fear or favour.
“I have every confidence that… if we could achieve what we have done with very little, that the days are certainly numbered in terms of those who will be before the courts,” Batohi said. – SAnews.gov.za
