The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has moved in to quell speculation that it has canned its annual training programme for aspirant prosecutors.
Following a flurry of enquiries from aspiring prosecutors about when the application process will open amid rumours that the programme has been cancelled, the NPA announced in a statement this week that the curriculum is under review and applications will open in the second part of the year.
The applications usually close at the beginning of July.
“This is to notify all potential applicants to the Aspirant Prosecutor Programme that the 2024 intake will be issued in the second half of this financial year.
“This is due to the extensive review and update that is being done to the curriculum of the programme, so that it responds to the growing demands of the changing landscape and the challenges facing the criminal justice system,” wrote Advocate Daphny Rangaka, the deputy director of public prosecutions in the statement.
“The change in timeframes will allow the review process to be finalised and for new recruits to be invited into an enhanced Aspirant Prosecutor Programme for the 2024 intake,” she said.
The programme which has been conducted by the NPA since 2004, provides a 12-month long internship to more than 300 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates or those who would have qualified for their LLB degree by the start of programme.
The NPA has not yet given the exact month of when the application will open for the programme that offers law graduates an opportunity to gain practical experience prosecutorial experience.
According to a webinar which was hosted by the NPA last year ahead of the application for 2023’s intake, during the programme candidates undergo various assessments culminating in a final assessment to determine their competency for appointment as prosecutors.
“Candidates who are deemed competent will be appointed at entry level prosecutor positions within the NPA,” Rangaka said during the webninar.
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