Vusi Pikoli accuses Selebi, Nqakula, and Mabandla of obstructing TRC investigations

Former NPA head Vusi Pikoli returned to the TRC Cases Inquiry, where he accused the late former police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, of alleged interference. Former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Vusi Pikolihas pointed the finger at key political figures for the stagnation of investigations related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). has pointed the finger at key political figures for the stagnation of investigations related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Speaking in front of representatives from various parties, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and families of theCradock Four, Pikoli emphasised the role of former police commissioner Jackie Selebi and former ministers Charles Nqakula and Brigitte Mabandla in what he termed pervasive ‘political interference and obstruction’. On Thursday, Pikoli faced cross-examination by counsel representing various parties, where his testimony reiterated earlier claims regarding the stagnation of investigations into the murders of prominent anti-apartheid activists. Pikoli alleged that Selebi was the chief instigator in the obstruction of justice in relation to TRC cases, adding that his behavior and that of others amounted to “unethical and unconstitutional conduct”.He accused Selebi of having withheld help in the form of resources to help Advocate Anton Ackerman.

Pikoli alleged that Selebi was the chief instigator in the obstruction of justice in relation to TRC cases, adding that his behavior and that of others amounted to “unethical and unconstitutional conduct”. He accused Selebi of having withheld help in the form of resources to help Advocate Anton Ackerman. Ackerman, dubbed the “Apartheid era prosecutor”, was the head of the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit (PCLU) in the NPA.

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He faced resistance while doing his job, with Pikoli saying his refusal to remove Ackerman as a prosecutor was because he was appointed through a presidential proclamation. “The issue was that as long as Ackerman was the one involved in the work of the PCLU, we were not going to get investigators. This was coming from the National Police Commissioner, the late Jackie Selebi… The police were an obstruction, and the DG sided with the national commissioner of police, and the Department of Justice agreed with the interpretation,” he stated.

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