NPA UNDER ITS CURRENT LEADERSHIP HAS PRIORITISED JUSTICE IN TRC CASES
5 March 2024
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has noted the media statement attributed to former President Thabo Mbeki released on 1 March 2024.
As highlighted in previous statements, the NPA under its current leadership has taken important steps to ensure the investigation and prosecution, in appropriate cases, of cases stemming from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In recent years, the NPA has reopened and pursued priority cases and enhanced its internal capacity to ensure effective handling of these cases. As of January 2024, the NPA has 15 prosecutors supported by 32 SAPS investigators based in various divisions to deal specifically with TRC matters. This has been done under difficult and demanding conditions in general, and particularly complicated circumstances relating to the TRC matters.
Notwithstanding, a total of 137 cases have been registered for investigation; 21 matters finalised with a decision and 10 matters on the court roll. A detailed overview of progress in cases and the measures in place was presented to Parliament in November 2022 and in November 2023.
As part of this effort, the NPA appointed Adv D Ntsebeza SC to review the measures that the NPA adopted to deal with and prosecute TRC matters, and to provide recommendations as needed. This was in line with the remarks made by the Full Bench in Rodrigues v National Director of Public Prosecutions of South Africa and Others 76755/2018) in the South Gauteng High Court in 2019 where the court held: