DA introduces Constitution Twenty-First Amendment Bill to tackle corruption
19 May 2024
The DA has published a notice of its intention to introduce its Constitution Twenty-First Amendment Bill 2023, which seeks to introduce the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) as an independent institution, strengthening a democracy free of corruption and high-level organised crime. The ACC will be mandated to investigate and prosecute serious corruption and high-level organised crime.
Currently, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which is solely responsible for the prosecution of people responsible for serious corruption and high-level organised crime, has been unable to successfully prosecute these criminals, a failing which needs to be addressed through constitutional amendments.
The key contributing factors to the NPA’s failure include:
- The NPA is reliant on the Police and the Hawks to investigate serious corruption and organised crime. They are not empowered to do so themselves.