South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly sacked advocates Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi, Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko confirmed on Friday.
The decision was taken after a commission of inquiry led by Justice Yvonne Mokgoro found Jiba and Mrwebi “not fit and proper to hold their respective offices.”
The inquiry commission recommended Ramaphosa to remove Jiba from office as Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as Mrwebi from office as Special Director of Public Prosecutions, reported AllAfrica.
As per the report, Jiba’s conduct on multiple instances showed a “lack of conscientiousness”, while Mrwebi was found to have failed to act without favor and to the prejudice of the NPA.
Mokgoro’s report found that Mrwebi’s decision to withdraw fraud charges against former Crime Intelligence boss Richard Mdluli was against the NPA Act and found that he did not act with integrity.
Last year in October, Ramaphosa established a three-member panel to probe the charges against the two after suspending them. The inquiry panel looked into matters raised on Jiba and Mrwebi’s questionable conduct in several of the previous and existing court cases involving the General Council of the Bar of SA, former president Jacob Zuma, and former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Johan Booysen.
Advocate Shamila Batohi, the national director of public prosecutions (NDPP), said Ramaphosa’s decision to fire the two prosecutors has ended months of uncertainty at the national prosecuting authority.
“It has unburdened the NPA from certain issues that have weighed negatively on the organization’s credibility and reputation,” Batohi said. “It sets a new path for the NPA.”
Ramaphosa’s decision will now be referred to Parliament within the next two weeks. The Parliament will then have a timeframe of 30 days to consider the president’s decision and decide whether to uphold the decision or to reject it and restore Jiba and Mrwebi to their positions.
