EDITORIAL: Mission impossible? Inside South Africa’s most challenging job
It is no secret that when Shamila Batohi took the reins of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in 2019, she was handed a poisoned chalice.
The NPA had been gutted by years of political interference, leadership instability, incompetence, and factionalism - most of which stemmed from ANC leadership succession battles and political factions at the highest level.
Batohi knew what she was getting into. During her interview process, she described the NPA as a “house on fire”. Her six years at the helm have demonstrated just how difficult putting out that fire would be. The NPA remains a weakened institution.
Earlier this year, as the NPA faced criticism over several high-profile losses, Batohi claimed the organisation had been infiltrated by individuals who were not committed to upholding the rule of law.
She later backtracked on these infiltration claims, saying she had used the wrong word. However, concerns persist that the NPA is not functioning as it should.
Batohi is expected to retire in January 2026.
In this week’s edition of Friday Briefing, UCT’s Professor Pierre de Vos examines why the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) position may be South Africa’s most impossible job, and explores what needs to be done for the country to have a fully functioning NPA capable of prosecuting and winning cases.
We also feature insights from analyst Dr Mpumelelo Mkhabela, who argues that public anger over the NPA’s challenges has been misdirected. The people responsible for gutting the NPA, he contends, are not Batohi. He does wish she had been more forthcoming on the challenges she faced, though.
On another note, in-depth writer Muhammad Hussain sits down with UN expert on Palestine, Francesca Albanese. She tells him her latest fact-finding report will “cause a lot of good trouble”.
“I’m going to tell states what their responsibilities are for enabling the system that has allowed Israel to turn into a genocidal machinery.”
Albanese will be delivering the Nelson Mandela lecture on Saturday.
You can read the full submissions below.
SA needs a bold NDPP disruptor, but will get another timid reformer
Replacing the head of that organisation with a competent and incorruptible person is only the first step to do so. In the case of the NPA, the task is more difficult still, given the extensive powers the president and the minister of justice retain over the organisation, writes Pierre de Vos.
Read the rest here.
Poor pay, political meddling and no real power: Who would want NDPP job?
A high-profile, respectable and successful silk is exactly what the NPA needs, but that must also come with an enabling environment to allow the next NDPP to do their job properly, writes Mpumelelo Mkhabela.
Read the rest here.
Francesca Albanese: UN Palestine expert embraces making ‘good trouble’
The uncompromising, unflinching and confrontational UN expert on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, promises more “good trouble” as she speaks to Muhammad Hussain.
Read the rest here.
