Minister of Justice is clearly confused about the role of NDPP

2 December 2016

The Minister of Justice, Michael Masutha, seems to think that the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shaun Abrahams, was best placed to advise him on the student violence on campuses around the country and that is why Abrahams met with ANC officials at Luthuli House, the day before he announced the now infamous and baseless charges against Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan.

In a reply to a DA parliamentary question, Masutha states that the NDPP was best placed to brief ANC leaders “on matters relevant to the violence that had erupted at institutions of higher learning in protestation of the “Fees must fall” campaign”.

This is odd considering that the NPA is concerned with prosecutions, not policing or the management of protests and/or riots.

The DA will be submitting further parliamentary questions to further probe the Minister’s reasoning on why Abrahams was at Luthuli House.

The DA has welcomed the request by the President for Abrahams to submit reasons why he should not be suspended and believe that Abrahams will be hard pressed to provide sufficient and compelling reasons.

The DA has already called on President Zuma to make these written submissions public and call on him to do so urgently.

The fact is that Abrahams is not fit for office and has severely damaged the already vulnerable reputation of the NPA.

It is time for those in power, including Mashuta and Abrahams, to be held to account for their poor decisions that have cost our country dearly.

Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach, DA Shadow Minister of Justice, 2 December 2016