'Good luck, Shamila Batohi': Outa

Good luck, Shamila Batohi.

That was the message from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) to the new National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss.

Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage welcomed Batohi’s appointment as the “start of the turn-around for this crucial crime-fighting organisation”.

“South Africa has waited years for an independent, brave chief prosecutor who stands unequivocally for justice. We wish advocate Batohi the best of luck in taking this battered but crucial institution forward, in restoring the confidence of both its staff and the public in the NPA, in overcoming the factionalism in the NPA and in reinstating the ethics of targeting criminals rather than whistleblowers.”

Duvenage said his organisation was encouraged by Batohi’s “willingness to take on the powerful who sought to hijack our country and her promise of independence”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Batohi’s appointment as the new national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) on Tuesday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

In November an eight-member panel led by cabinet minister Jeff Radebe interviewed 11 shortlisted candidates for the job. The eight candidates were whittled down to five: Batohi, Simphiwe Mlotshwa, Siyabulela Mapoma, Andrea Johnson and Rodney de Kock.

Batohi was evidence leader during the King Commission which investigated Hansie Cronjé's match-fixing in cricket. She was recently a legal adviser at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, in the Netherlands.

Batohi said in her job interview that she was “quite comfortable” with her life in The Hague. But, she said, fixing the NPA required all hands on deck, which is why she was prepared to “put aside our personal comforts”.

“We brought justice to victims on an individual basis, now the entire country is almost like a victim and we need to actually work together.”

She described the NPA as a house on fire and said the NDPP position would be like a shark tank.