President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to sign the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill into law. The bill claims to strengthen the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and reintroduce the Investigative Directorate (ID) on corruption, similar to the Scorpions.
What the ANC is not telling you is that the bill does nothing to address the issues of independence within the NPA or the control of the minister of justice, which ultimately led to the body being captured by maligned actors.
It also fails to mention that the ID has no protection from facing the same fate as the Scorpions. Parliament can disband the ID if it ever tries to prosecute the political elites.
What we need is a truly independent body, one that is not controlled by the minister, reports only to parliament and enjoys a security of tenure. This is what Accountability Now has called for and what the Constitutional Court has ruled on.
The DA is the only party that is taking this on with its Anti-Corruption Commission Bill, ticking all the constitutional requirements for a properly independent body. This is the real Scorpions 2.0 and a far better alternative to the ANC’s proposal.
Lerato Ndlovu
Stellenbosch
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