NDPP Appointment Highlights the Need for Reform and Stronger Oversight
Athol Trollip MP
ActionSA Parliamentary Leader
ActionSA notes the President’s announcement of Adv Andy Mothibi’s appointment as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions and expects that his incoming tenure will represent a departure from the failures and incompetence that have characterised the NPA.
Considering the uninspiring pool of shortlisted candidates, none of whom were recommended, ActionSA believes this presents an opportunity to seriously reflect on the inadequate framework through which the heads of our prosecuting authority are appointed, a framework that has burdened the NPA with leaders who were simply unfit for office.
While the President acted within his constitutional authority in appointing Adv Mothibi, ActionSA is concerned that South Africans wanted a new broom to sweep clean but were instead presented with a figure drawn from the existing establishment. In the context of coalition governance, such a critical appointment made unilaterally by the President underscores the urgent need for reform, as decisions of this national importance must be subject to broader consultation and stronger scrutiny.
Furthermore, while ActionSA expects that Adv Mothibi’s record at the SIU will translate into reversing the shocking decline of the NPA, a further concern is that he would effectively serve as a caretaker NDPP for only two years before being required to retire. This raises a legitimate question as to whether such a short tenure will be sufficient to meaningfully address the deep-seated dysfunction within the NPA.
From escalating violent crime to rampant corruption, Adv Mothibi assumes leadership of the NPA at a time when there can be zero compromise in throwing the book at criminals. ActionSA believes that the role of the NDPP has never been more critical and will ensure that, to avoid at all costs a repeat of the disastrous leadership of the NPA, Adv Mothibi is held to account at every turn.
NDPP Appointment Highlights the Need for Reform and Stronger Oversight
ActionSA notes the President’s announcement of Adv Andy Mothibi’s appointment as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions and expects that his incoming tenure will represent a departure from the failures and incompetence that have characterised the NPA.
Considering the uninspiring pool of shortlisted candidates, none of whom were recommended, ActionSA believes this presents an opportunity to seriously reflect on the inadequate framework through which the heads of our prosecuting authority are appointed, a framework that has burdened the NPA with leaders who were simply unfit for office.
While the President acted within his constitutional authority in appointing Adv Mothibi, ActionSA is concerned that South Africans wanted a new broom to sweep clean but were instead presented with a figure drawn from the existing establishment. In the context of coalition governance, such a critical appointment made unilaterally by the President underscores the urgent need for reform, as decisions of this national importance must be subject to broader consultation and stronger scrutiny.
Furthermore, while ActionSA expects that Adv Mothibi’s record at the SIU will translate into reversing the shocking decline of the NPA, a further concern is that he would effectively serve as a caretaker NDPP for only two years before being required to retire. This raises a legitimate question as to whether such a short tenure will be sufficient to meaningfully address the deep-seated dysfunction within the NPA.
From escalating violent crime to rampant corruption, Adv Mothibi assumes leadership of the NPA at a time when there can be zero compromise in throwing the book at criminals. ActionSA believes that the role of the NDPP has never been more critical and will ensure that, to avoid at all costs a repeat of the disastrous leadership of the NPA, Adv Mothibi is held to account at every turn.