Johannesburg – National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Shamila Batohi said on Wednesday the days of impunity for those breaking the law were numbered. But she warned that any cuts to the NPA’s budget could roll back any gains it made.
The NPA briefed Parliament’s Justice Committee on its performance on Wednesday. The briefing came in the wake of high-profile arrests and the seizure of assets linked to a number of fraud and corruption cases.
The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Batohi, said the actions taken so far was like a drop in the ocean: “The wheels of justice are turning – it’s been slow. But let us be frank and candid: this is one tiny, tiny pinpoint of a massive iceberg.”
She said the NPA and the Hawks were focusing on 87 cases. 26 of these cases were enrolled in court, since April.
“In the past, these cases might never have seen the inside of a courtroom and the fact that these cases are now beginning to come to the courts shows that things are changing – and that the days of impunity are certainly limited.”
But she was worried the fall-out from the Covid-19 pandemic will see her budget cut by up to R1.1billion, which would virtually cancel out R1.3billion cash injection the NPA received last year.
Batohi said fighting corruption was a priority.
“But what it requires is a huge investment and commitment from the government as well.”
