DA: New NPA appointment astonishing

2011-01-14 17:02

Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has failed the country in appointing Advocate Nomgcoba Jiba as a deputy director of National Prosecutions, the Democratic Alliance said on Friday.

“Just as his appointment of Menzi Simelane as National Director of Public Prosecutions induced a sense of shock, the appointment of Jiba has caused astonishment,” the DA’s Dene Smuts said in a statement.
 
Jiba made the headlines in 2007 for leading in the arrest of her NPA colleague Gerrie Nel just as Nel was working on the corruption case against Jackie Selebi.

Jiba got Nel arrested over claims that he had interfered in the prosecution of an investigator convicted of pursuing a cover-up during his investigation of corruption at the Mpumalanga Economic Empowerment Commission.

The charges against Nel were later dropped.

‘All the president’s men and women’

Smuts said: “A deputy national director, like the NDPP, must under the NPA Act be a fit and proper person with due regard paid to conscientiousness and integrity.

“Jiba on all available versions of her history at the NPA engaged in both political and personal plotting utterly unbecoming a prosecutor, in each case directed at senior prosecutor Nel.”

The DA accused Zuma of “creating some spare capacity and depth at the top of the NPA, putting all the president’s men and women in place”.

“Mr Zuma is failing in his solemn duty as president of the republic to make proper appointments.”

Smuts promised that the DA will try to establish with Justice Minister Jeff Radebe when he appears before the justice committee what position he took when consulted on Jiba’s appointment.

She said they will also ask about the appointment of the “somewhat obscure” Advocate Nomvula Mokhatla into the other position of deputy director of National Prosecutions.

“If he was in agreement or simply limp-wristed then he too is failing in his duty.”

Government spokesperson Themba Maseko refused to comment on the matter and referred News24 to presidency spokesperson Zizi Kodwa. Kodwa referred News24 to justice department spokesperson Tlali Tlali. No comment was available at the time of publishing.

- News24