National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) candidate and Western Cape deputy director of public prosecutions, Advocate Adrain Mopp, has openly criticised the leadership approach of current NDPP Advocate Shamila Batohi.
He said Batohi’s public comments cast the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a negative light.
Mopp was responding to remarks Batohi made before the parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee during interviews held on Wednesday in Pretoria.
According to Mopp, Batohi had shared with the media her concerns about elements who do not respect the rule of law within the NPA.
Spoke ill of NPA in public
“Advocate Batohi spoke to the media about elements who do not respect the rule of law in the organisation. And I was alarmed by that, it bothered me,” Mopp said.
“But when she was asked to explain that, she referenced one instance. And there again, it is critical for us to have a proper understanding to diagnose the problem properly. Are we talking about one or two individuals who are anti-constitutionalists? My view is that we are not an organisation that is beset by this.”
Mopp said broad statements suggesting systemic lawlessness risk tarnishing good people who form the majority of the NPA.
He argued that leadership should distinguish between isolated misconduct and institutional culture.
“You will recall when advocate Batohi started, she was very negative about the state of the organisation.
On the NPA being captured
“When she was appointed, we were convened as senior management. She called us all to speak about her leadership. And I raised with her the perceptions of the NPA being captured. I said it is critically important that if you want to build a team, then we must know who did what, not the entire organisation,” Mopp added.
Mopp further stated that the NPA had never properly reflected on the impact of state capture within its ranks. It was a missed opportunity he believes has allowed lingering narratives of dysfunction to persist.
“I lamented the fact that we have not amongst ourselves spoken about what state capture was and how it manifested in the organisation. That did not happen. And I thought that was a missed opportunity. We are still being characterised as being in turmoil. And this is how many years after the fact?”
Should he be appointed NDPP, Mopp said he would prioritise an honest internal conversation about the NPA’s past and present challenges. With the aim of fostering clarity, unity and institutional confidence.
