Cyril Ramaphosa axes Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi

26 April 2019 - 12:04
By Claudi Mailovich
Nomgcobo Jiba has been fired but the decision has to be ratified by parliament. File photo
Image: Antonio Muchave Nomgcobo Jiba has been fired but the decision has to be ratified by parliament. File photo

President Cyril Ramaphosa has fired controversial senior National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officials Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi.

The president's decision will be sent to parliament within two weeks, which will then have 30 days to decide to either uphold the decision or restore the two to their positions.

An inquiry chaired by retired Constitutional Court judge Yvonne Mokgoro found that Jiba, the suspended deputy national director of public prosecutions, and Mrwebi, suspended special director of public prosecutions, were not fit and proper to hold office.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Khusela Diko, confirmed to Business Day that letters to the two officials informing them of the president’s decision were sent on Thursday evening.

The Mokgoro inquiry heard six weeks of evidence and looked into prosecutorial decisions taken by the pair in politically sensitive cases, such as dropping charges against former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and instituting racketeering charges against former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen. 

- BusinessLIVE