Five years later, in her interview for the NDPP position, Batohi took a similar stance. She suggested that she would seek Ramaphosa’s approval for an investigating directorate tasked specifically with dealing with corruption — a directorate that would seemingly operate very much like the disbanded Scorpions. But with a key distinction: Batohi wants state institutions such as the auditor-general, as well as the private sector and civil society, to work with prosecutors on these cases.
She stressed that "people have got to understand that it’s about giving for the sake of the country" — and emphasised that none of the role players involved could expect to get any favours as a consequence of their contribution. "It has to be all hands on deck," she said. "It’s got to be about giving without expecting anything in return."
With the NPA facing major budget challenges — and more than 200 key prosecutorial positions currently vacant and frozen — Batohi’s focus on a multidisciplinary approach to tackling corruption is both born out of necessity, and extremely smart.
Private law firms such as Werksmans have been at the centre of probing alleged multibillion-rand looting at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), but the evidence that’s been collected and collated has, for years now, been gathering dust.
As a result, Prasa took the extraordinary step of suing the Hawks — with the aim of forcing the unit to finalise its investigation — so that the NPA could make a decision on whether to pursue charges.
If the NPA were empowered to create an investigative unit, it would have the ability to work with firms such as Werksmans and not be dependent on the police to present prosecutors with the evidence they need to institute charges.
The Helen Suzman Foundation recently revealed that it had been approached by the NPA to assist with the investigation into multibillion-rand corruption, fraud and looting at Eskom. The foundation has gone to court to recover the money linked to these activities, and the NPA apparently believes the foundation can assist it with information for potential criminal prosecutions.
