Batohi tells probe prosecutor corruption was reported to Ramaphosa

National director of public prosecutions Shamila Batohi on Tuesday told Parliament’s ad hoc committee on the infiltration of the criminal justice system she had reported intelligence about a corrupt prosecutor to President Cyril Ramaphosa but “couldn’t take it further”.

Her admission came amid heated exchanges over foreign funding, the stalled Gupta extradition and the ANC’s step‑aside policy, with MPs questioning whether systemic weaknesses were being adequately addressed.

MK party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo asked whether the ANC’s step‑aside policy had influenced prosecutorial decisions ahead of elective conferences. Batohi replied, “I’ve read about it in the media,” denying any direct impact.

EFF leader Julius Malema challenged Batohi’s earlier remark that the NPA did not need additional funding, forcing her to withdraw the statement.

He accused the authority of accepting “money‑in‑kind from the Germans” and warned that foreign support risked compromising independence.

“What if these people are chaired by ‘Cat’ Matlala? You have done a disservice to us,” Malema said, adding that the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) should be prioritising corruption cases such as the Tembisa Hospital looting rather than internal human resource disputes.

Read: Batohi pressed to name suspended prosecutor linked to organised crime

ActionSA’s Dereleen James expressed alarm at Batohi’s claim that the NPA worked “very well” with SAPS, questioning whether prosecutors were part of counterintelligence structures.

Batohi insisted safeguards were in place to ensure the NPA was not beholden to external actors and emphasised that services received from foreign partners were disclosed in annual reports.

Guptas brothers

On the Guptas brothers — who fled the country to Dubai after looting billions of rand using senior government officials and leaders of state-owned enterprises — Batohi told MPs the extradition process would be concluded before she left office.

She said additional charges were being prepared to strengthen the request. Batohi described it as “highly suspicious” that the Guptas were allowed to leave the country.

DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach pressed Batohi on senior prosecutors implicated in state capture who remain in the NPA. Batohi said disciplinary processes were under way but expressed frustration at their slow pace.

Advocate Andrew Chauke had been suspended and an inquiry was imminent, she said.

Breytenbach described the disbandment of the Scorpions as “a day of celebration for the corrupt” and warned that Idac could be dismantled similarly.

EFF MP Leigh‑Ann Mathys demanded the names of prosecutors who aided state capture, but Batohi said policy prevented disclosure during disciplinary proceedings.

Batohi acknowledged systemic weaknesses, citing persistent co-ordination challenges with the SAPS and limited access to Zondo commission documents.

She said Idac investigators had only partial access to the database and were working with the department of justice to improve it.

“This is the one instrument we have in the country to deal with corruption. We need to strengthen it,” she told MPs.