Former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Menzi Simelane during his interview on 11 December 2025. Picture: X / @DOJCD_ZA Former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Menzi Simelane has rejected claims that he was ever deemed unfit to occupy the role he is vying for again. Simelane appeared on Thursday as the final candidate interviewed on day two of the shortlisting process to find a successor for outgoing NDPP Shamila Batohi, who will step down in January 2026.
The interviews took place at the Auditor-General’s offices in Pretoria. Simelane was removed as NDPP after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) invalidated his appointment in October 2012. Freedom Under Law (FUL) has since formally objected to his current nomination, while the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA) lodged a court bid to have him struck from the roll of legal practitioners.
During the interview, Simelane detailed his career history, including his tenure as director-general of the Department of Justice from 2005 to 2009. He indicated that he was involved in the processes that led to the establishment of the ConCourt. “Transformation of the legal professions – we did a lot of that.
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For my sins, I pushed a lot of things I think are following me to this day,” Simelane remarked. He said one of those controversial efforts was his attempt to abolish traditional bar structures, arguing that the country did not need “these ritualistic, traditional things” common in court settings. His push for change, Simelane admitted, was not met well.
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