Julius Malema calls for inquiry into NPA, suggests Mogoeng Mogoeng as chair

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to request a commission of inquiry into the state of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) following Adv Shamila Batohi’s recent remarks on infiltration in the agency.

In a series of open interviews, Batohi disclosed that renegade prosecutors may have undermined the NPA.

Batohi publicly admitted that her ability to discharge her responsibilities is hindered by infiltration within the NPA and by individuals with ulterior motives acting both internally and externally.

The EFF said Batohi’s remarks have raised an alarming and urgent institutional crisis.

“When the NDPP herself concedes publicly that these conditions are no longer intact due to infiltration, we are no longer dealing with ordinary organisational reform issues.

“We are confronted with a systemic breakdown of a constitutional institution and a direct threat to the rule of law,” Malema said.

He emphasised that the situation represented a matter of profound constitutional importance, stating that the nation is now "facing a systemic collapse of a constitutional institution and a direct threat to the rule of law."

Malema recommended that the proposed Commission be chaired by retired Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, whom he describes as having maintained judicial independence throughout his tenure, free from political interference.

Furthermore, Malema urges the President to take decisive action to restore the credibility and integrity of the prosecutorial system.

He asserts that doing so is essential not only to ensure its effective functioning but also to reaffirm the country’s collective commitment to justice, accountability, and the rule of law.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa has summoned Batohi to a high-level meeting following her recent remarks on prosecutors within the NPA.

According to Ramaphosa, the meeting is an important chance for Batohi to clarify the scope of the purported infiltration and to thoroughly express her concerns.

“The NDPP did make that statement, and she later said she used the wrong word about the infiltration. I’m going to have a meeting with her so that she can offload and take off the chest some of the challenges,” Ramaphosa told journalists at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School on Tuesday.

Despite criticism towards the NPA, the president expressed satisfaction with the NPA’s work.

“The NPA has done considerable work to stabilise itself as well as go on with various prosecutions,” he said.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

IOL Politics