Jiba to challenge Ramaphosa's decision to fire her

Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba. File photo: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA).

Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba. File photo: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA).

Published Apr 28, 2019

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Axed senior prosecutor advocate Nomgcobo Jiba is preparing for a showdown with President Cyril Ramaphosa and she has promised to take him to court for firing

her.

Jiba was fired along with special director of public prosecutions Lawrence Mrwebi, following a scathing report by retired Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro.

The president said the two should go after the Mokgoro commission’s findings against them.

Jiba’s lawyer, Zola Majavu, said on Saturday he had not yet received instructions from his client on the court application against Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa’s decision to axe Mrwebi and Jiba must still be confirmed by Parliament after the elections.

National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi said this week the decision by Ramaphosa had set the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on a new path.

She will fill the two positions only after Parliament has taken a final decision.

Parliament will have new MPs in the justice committee that oversees the NPA and the Department of Justice and Correctional Services.

Mrwebi said he was awaiting for the parliamentary process to unfold before commenting further on the matter.

Jiba said she was taking the decision by Ramaphosa on review and believed the president had overstepped the mark.

The inquiry had made damning findings against both Mrwebi and

Jiba.

Ramaphosa had even refused a request by Jiba to remain in the public service and said the report had found that she was dishonest and would not set a good example given this

finding.

Both Mrwebi and Jiba were also implicated by former Bosasa chief operations officer, Angelo Agrizzi, in accepting bribes worth thousands of rands a month.

The two have denied the allegations against them.

Mokgoro found that Jiba and Mrwebi had not acted properly in their work in the NPA.

In his letters to the two,

Ramaphosa said based on the findings of the commission the two had lied to him.

However, Jiba said she was not taking the decision lying down.

Opposition parties have welcomed the sacking of the two senior prosecutors, saying this was the beginning of a process to clean up the

NPA.

The sacking of Jiba and Mrwebi comes as the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture is hearing evidence on the capture of law enforcement agencies.

Former Hawks head in KwaZulu-Natal, Johan Booysen, returns to the witness stand on Thursday after former Independent Police Investigative Directorate boss

Robert McBride gave evidence.

Sunday Independent

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