Jiba should face the music or be fired

24 March 2015

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the news that deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Nomcgobo Jiba, has been summonsed to appear in court to face charges of fraud and perjury. It now transpires that she is evading the SAPS to avoid receiving the summons to be served on her, forcing them to serve the summons on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Head Office. Behaviour of this nature is totally unbecoming of someone in her position. The President surely cannot continue to bury his head in the sand.

These charges, it seems, relate to her handling of the matter of the KZN Hawks boss, Johan Booysen, where she acted with complete impunity and disregard for due process. This resulting in Booysen being needlessly suspended for two years. Jiba was slated by the  KZN High Court for her handling of the matter in a judgement delivered some time ago.  

While it is understandable that the charges have taken some time to frame and process, it completely beggars belief as to why the President has not yet suspended Jiba.  She is second-in-command at the (NPA) and it is well known that she has done her utmost to undermine the sitting NDPP, Mxolisi Nxasana.  She has also refused to co-operate with Judge Yacoob who conducted a judicial commission of inquiry into her conduct at the NPA.  

This type of behaviour is quite staggering, and she should have been suspended months ago.

The fact that the National Commissioner of Police, Riah Phiyega, chooses to interfere in a matter of this nature is equally astonishing.  To demand an explanation surrounding the summonsing of a suspect in a criminal matter should be the very last thing that should occupy the mind of the National Police Commissioner.  

It is a competence of the National Prosecuting Authority and she has no business interfering in matters that should not concern her.  She should also not be spending her time intimidating investigators doing their job.  

The whole business is worrying on several levels, and is an indication that political interference and decay is rife in the NPA and other crime fighting institutions.

Statement issued by Glynnis Breytenbach MP, DA Shadow Minister of Justice, March 24 2015

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