No convictions in six years

TOOTHLESS: ADVOCATE BATOHI HAS LITTLE TO SHOW FOR HER TIME AS PROSECUTING HEAD

- Thando Nondywana

February marks six years since advocate Shamila Batohi was appointed the national director of public prosecutions but not a single high-profile politician has been convicted of state capture or corruption charges under her tenure.

Batohi was appointed in February 2019 on a 10-year contract or until she reaches the retirement age of 65 in 2026 and became the first woman to lead the national prosecuting authority (NPA).

Before this she served as an advisor to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court from 2009 to 2019.

Paul Hoffman, director of the Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa, said Batohi started with the best intentions but ultimately failed to enforce the law effectively.

"Legally, if she wanted to tackle corruption effectively, she needed to point out to the government that an anti-corruption body independent of executive control is required."

"She has failed to do that. She has been trying to make bricks without straw," he said.

"As the leader of the NPA, it was her responsibility to clarify to politicians what the law requires and to explain that the current structures do not meet those requirements. If she failed to secure the necessary reforms, she should have resigned long ago."

He said she will be remembered as the head of the prosecution service who did not insist on compliance with the law and enforcement of the rules.