The Presidency has not received a letter requesting an inquiry into NDPP

7 November 2016

The Presidency has learnt from media reports that the Helen Suzman Foundation and Freedom Under Law have apparently written a letter to President Jacob Zuma regarding the alleged impropriety and unfitness for office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP). A copy of the letter is available on the Internet.

The letter gives an account of how the NDPP and the prosecutors who dealt with the matter involving the Minister of Finance and others misconducted themselves. The letter concludes by asking the President to confirm, in writing, by no later than 16h00 Monday, 7 November 2016, that the President will provisionally suspended the NDPP, JP Pretorius SC and S Mzinyathi from their office, pending enquiries into their fitness to hold office as contemplated in section 12(6)(a), read with, inter alia, section 14(3) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, 1998 and that the President will forthwith institute such enquiries.

The Presidency has checked its records and has no record of receipt of this correspondence.

The matter will be attended to once the letter has been delivered to the Presidency.

Statement issued by Dr Bongani Ngqulunga, The Presidency, 8 November 2016

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HSF and FUL TO PRESS ON

7 November 2016

On 1 November 2016 the HSF and FUL urged the President to suspend National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams together with two of his senior staff, pending an inquiry into their fitness for office.

The President was given until 16:00 on 7 November to respond. Despite due delivery of the letter the Presidency has seen fit publicly to deny receipt and to ask for another two weeks to respond.

The HSF and FUL regard this conduct as unacceptable and have informed the President that the urgent application foreshadowed in the letter is being instituted forthwith. 

Issued by the HSF and FUL, 7 November 2016