Durban - President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Advocate Elaine Zungu as the new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the KwaZulu-Natal.
Zungu has been acting in the position for months after the departure of Moipone Noko. Noko's tenure was tainted after the withdrawal of charges against senior ANC politicians Mike Mabuyakhulu and Peggy Nkonyeni who faced corruption charges in the so-called R144 million 'Amigos case'.
In a statement on Wednesday, spokesperson to the President Khusela Diko said the appointment is made towards the fulfilment of Ramaphosa's commitment to strengthen the criminal justice system as part of the national priority of the fight against crime and corruption.
“Adv. Zungu has extensive prosecutorial and managerial experience, as well as extensive experience in the law. Ramaphosa is satisfied, within the context of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, that Adv. Zungu is a fit and proper person, with due regard to her experience, conscientiousness and integrity, to be entrusted with the responsibilities of the office concerned,” said Diko in the statement.
“The President wishes Adv. Zungu well in her new role and expects this appointment to bring further stability to the prosecutions authority in Kwa-Zulu Natal while restoring the confidence of citizens in the province in the fight against crime and corruption.”
Zungu is taking over at a time when the NPA in KZN is facing pressure to bring to book hitmen involved in political killings and those who ordered the hits. The NPA in KZN has suffered a string of setbacks after having to withdraw charges against politicians accused of political killings due to lack of evidence and witnesses backtracking from their testimonies.
Among the high-profile cases on the cards for Zungu is the case of former eThekwini mayor, Zandile Gumede.