‘Nothing holds my hands’: New NDPP Andy Mothibi shares his list of priorities

National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi. Picture: Gallo Images/ City Press/ Leon Sadiki The new head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is envisioning a modern and capable legal force to hold criminals accountable. National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi on Thursday gave a detailed breakdown of how the NPA will shape its work under his watch.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Mothibi in January, after the public interviews of six candidates that were ultimately overlooked. Mothibi said that he had spent the last two months gauging the organisation’s culture, having taken “time to immerse himself” in the task at hand. In his state of the NPA address, Mothibi provided a “situational analysis” of the NPA’s challenges and how it would meet the public’s expectations.

Formerly the head of the Special Investigating Unit, Mothibi described his vision as the “corporatisation” of the organisation that was being backed by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. “The vision and mission of the NPA that we are committed to, and continue to strive towards, is the achievement of justice in our society so that people can live in freedom and security,” said Mothibi. He explained that this would require organisational reforms and that he was working on refining leadership structures and filling vacancies, with many senior positions requiring presidential appointment.

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“We would want the NPA to have operational and financial independence. “I have been in discussions with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development on this subject, and I am pleased to say that the ministry and department are fully supportive and have committed to drive the legislative reform process,” said Mothibi. As well as priority crimes like murder, rape and gender-based violence, the NPA will place an emphasis on organised crime and financial crimes such as money laundering.

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