There will be no more hiding places for prosecutors who put a duck foot when prosecuting cases as the head of the prosecution unit, National Prosecuting Authority, Advocate Andy Mothibi, has promised to deal with them.
Mothibi, who spoke to the media for the first time yesterday since he was appointed to this position, promised to eradicate corruption in the department. He said he received reports that there are prosecutors who intervened and interfered with the prosecution of cases.
“We want the public to regain trust in the prosecution service. Prosecutors must prosecute cases without fear or bias,” he said.
He said they will also fill important vacancies in the department to speed up the prosecution of cases.
“We will also use technology to speed up cases. The crime rate in this country is high, but the prosecution of cases and the issuing of sentences are slow.”
He also revealed that they will focus on cases related to corruption, organized crime, and what happened during apartheid in this country.
He also mentioned that he wants them to keep an eye on what is happening in different commissions in the country, including Madlanga’s, so that when recommendations come out, they will remain vigilant against those who need to be prosecuted. Another case that he said he is looking at closely is the murder of the former goalkeeper of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana, Senzo Meyiwa, which is still going on in court.
“There are 292 cases that have not yet been sentenced. That is why we have prioritized the quick completion of the cases.”
Mothibi said they will not leave out cases of abuse of women.
“Since this scandal has been considered a tragedy, we will put resources into prosecuting cases involving the abuse of women. Murder and rape cases will not be left out of the priorities.”
He said that they want this unit to be independent in terms of money and the way it works, and he said that they have discussed with the Minister of Justice who supports this idea.
He pointed out that if illegal firearms were removed, that would help in the fight against organized crime.
“We have met with the Commissioner of Police, so that our plans and those of the police are compatible. These plans include identifying cases so that they can be quickly prosecuted.”
He said that they will continue to search for those who evade the law so that the money that was wrongly taken can be returned.
“I will do my job honestly, there is nothing stopping me from doing this.”
