Overview
- Testifying to an ad hoc committee, NDPP Shamila Batohi confirmed receiving intelligence from Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo linking an NPA member to organised crime and said she referred the matter to Idac.
- Batohi declined to identify the suspended prosecutor in public, citing due process and reputational harm risks, and indicated she could brief MPs behind closed doors after consulting counsel.
- MPs, led by EFF leader Julius Malema, castigated the refusal and pressed for names, referencing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s earlier confirmation that South Gauteng DPP Andrew Chauke is suspended pending a fitness inquiry.
- Batohi told the committee South Africa is not winning against organised crime, pointing to weak intelligence, capacity constraints, corruption vulnerabilities and court delays that slow prosecutions.
- On the Phala Phala matter, Batohi said a review of the decision not to prosecute remains under consideration within the prosecutorial structures, a position disputed by Malema, as the committee’s inquiry continues.