By Doreen Mokgolo
- ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba demands that President Ramaphosa fire top prosecutor Shamila Batohi for failing to do her job.
- The party marched to the Justice Department in Pretoria, bringing up failures in state capture prosecutions and staff shortages at the NPA.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa fire the country’s top prosecutor, Advocate Shamila Batohi.
On Thursday, the party marched to the Department of Justice offices in Pretoria to give a letter to Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
Batohi was hired in December 2018 to fix the broken National Prosecuting Authority. But Mashaba says she has failed badly.
Her time in charge has been full of problems. She has failed to prosecute big cases, including state capture, and has messed up important extraditions.
ActionSA wants the president to use his powers under the National Prosecuting Authority Act to start the process of removing Batohi from her job.
Mashaba said the process must start with her being suspended right away while investigators look into the problems at the NPA.
‘The NPA is broken under her leadership, whether through being useless or just not caring. This is not just a few mistakes, but a worrying pattern,’ he said.
‘It is scary that the NPA has become a safe place for the politically connected, where people avoid being held responsible, justice is delayed, and prosecutions fall apart.’
Mashaba said they want her removed because of the people who have been let down by the prosecuting body.
‘She clearly cannot do her job properly,’ he said.
‘In the six years she has been in charge, the institution has no direction, is driven by fighting between groups, and is completely unable or unwilling to act against corruption or violent crime.’
He pointed to staff shortages across provinces and key units within the NPA as proof of the problems.
‘The families of the Lily Mine victims are still waiting for justice as the NPA drags its feet,’ he said.
‘This includes cases like the assault case that was thrown out because of state delays, even though the case was sent to the top prosecutor without any action being taken.’
Picture above: ActionSA members.
Image source: ActionSA
