Former National Director for Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Menzi Simelane. Picture: Gallo Images / Dudu Zitha Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has shrugged off the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) threat to halt the interviews to find National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi’s successor. Batohi is expected to retire at the end of January 2026.
The interviews, scheduled over two days, are being held at the Auditor-General’s offices in Pretoria. Six contenders are in the running: Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Andrea Johnson; former NDPP Menzi Simelane; former Investigating Directorate head Hermione Cronje; Advocate Nicolette Bell; Advocate Xolisile Khanyile; and Advocate Adrian Mopp. Simelane’s candidacy has triggered criticism due to the controversies that marked his previous tenure.
Appointed NDPP in December 2009 by former president Jacob Zuma, he was later removed after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) invalidated the appointment in October 2012 following a DA challenge. The court ruled that Simelane was not a “fit and proper person” for the position. Freedom Under Law (FUL) has formally opposed his nomination, while the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA) has launched an application to have him removed from the roll of legal practitioners.
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As the proceedings got underway on Wednesday, Kubayi clarified that the interviews represented the shortlisting phase after determining which applicants met the minimum criteria. She highlighted that the advisory panel overseeing the process believed that someone with only a year of managerial experience would be unqualified to lead the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
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