Kubayi says all NPA prosecutors to undergo lifestyle audits in bid to root out corruption

CAPE TOWN - Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi said that all public prosecutors in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) would undergo lifestyle audits to try to root out corruption in the system.

This follows recent claims by the head of the NPA, National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi, that the organisation had been infiltrated by unsavoury elements working against it.

Responding to questions about the NPA in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday, Kubayi said the issue was not about "infiltration" but rather corrupt elements that were found throughout society.

The claims of infiltration in the NPA has caused a lot of concern in Parliament, with parties like the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) calling for an inquiry into the matter.

But Kubayi said they’ve clarified that it’s not really about infiltration but a long-standing concern.

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"Concerns that have been there over time, where you find that individuals within the organisation will work towards the opposite in a society where corruption is, you are expected to have individuals who are corrupt."

She said this was precisely why lifestyle audits would have to start during the current financial year.

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"That's why one of the things that is non-negotiable for all prosecutors in the country, irrespective of their level, is lifestyle audits because with lifestyle audits, you are able to see the patterns whether a person lives above their means."

Kubayi said that reforms within the NPA were already in play, with plans to make the institution financially independent from the department, with its own CEO or director-general.