Political parties in Parliament have welcomed the appointment of Advocate Shamila Batohi as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).
They say she has a mammoth task ahead of her to turn the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) around, which they claim has been under political influence in the past decade.
Statement on the appointment of the National Director of Public Prosecutions. https://t.co/eHlVZdF5xr #NDPP pic.twitter.com/Ib0TdPZe4q
— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) December 4, 2018
Political parties in Parliament are sending good wishes to Advocate Batohi. Chairperson of the Justice Committee, Madipoane Mothapo, says they are pleased that President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a woman.
“We fully congratulate Advocate Shamila Batohi for her new appointment as the head of NPA especially as the first female person to head the NPA – really we feel very much excited about it.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on Justice, Glynnis Breytenbach, says Batohi must do her work without fear or favour.
“She’s going to have to lend integrity to the institution. She must get rid of the bad eggs of which there are many. She must consolidate the good prosecutors of which there are even more and pull the institution together so that they can prosecute without fear or favour.”
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) MP Mzamo Buthelezi shares these sentiments.
“It’s not just any woman for gender equity but a woman of substance. Her track records speak for themselves. We hope that she will restore the integrity in the criminal justice because as a country we really need people who are not biased who will act without fear or favour.”
The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and Freedom Front Plus also say Batohi is the right person to turn the NPA around.
APC leader Themba Godi says it welcomes the fact that there will be stability in the institution. Godi however says he hopes that Batohi will leave her past behind and focus on the future.
“To the extent that the appointment will contribute to stability and focus we welcome that she might have the necessary intellectual and international experience but I do think that her past position in KZN was not at all rosy and I hope that all these things in the past that created tension and misunderstanding will be left in the past and she is a new person who is going to do as expected.”
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