Batohi said vacancy rates were about 20% on average in the country. The percentage was even higher at specialised units such as the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit and the Asset Forfeiture Unit, at between 25% and 28%.
In actual terms, the NPA had lost about 600 prosecutors since 2015 as a result of not being able to recruit any new prosecutors, Batohi said.
"That's had a major impact on delivery of services," she said.
The NPA is already reeling from a credibility crisis over the past decade under former president Jacob Zuma.
If not adequately resourced it could throw a spanner in the works of President Cyril Ramaphosa's efforts to cleanse the government of the rampant corruption.
BusinessLIVE