Ex-National Prosecuting Authority boss Mxolisi Nxasana during a media briefing on the annual perfomance of the NPA on October 21, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / Foto24 / Lerato Maduna)
Ex-National Prosecuting Authority boss Mxolisi Nxasana during a media briefing on the annual perfomance of the NPA on October 21, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / Foto24 / Lerato Maduna)
Former Director of Public Prosecutions Mxolisi Nxasana has rocked up to the state capture inquiry and dropped bombs on Wednesday. The former NPA chief has revealed how Jacob Zuma exerted his personal influence over the department, flouting several important procedures in the process.
Nxasana spent less than two years in the top job before he was replaced by Zuma lackey Shaun Abrahams. The new guy proved to be nothing more than an errand boy for the president, right up until he left office in 2018. However, Abrahams’ appointment was deemed constitutionally invalid last August, causing trouble for his predecessor.
Jacob Zuma gave Nxasana a R17 million “golden handshake” upon his departure. ConCourt ordered him to pay R10 million back, but the witness says he doesn’t have that money. If the circumstances around his exit are dodgy, then his actual appointment was outright corrupt.
Nxasana says in his view there has been political interference as well as external interference which impacts on decision making at the NPA. #StateCaptureInquiry
— State Capture Commission (@StateCaptureCom) June 12, 2019
What Mxolisi Nsaxana said about Jacob Zuma
Nxasana told the commission that Zuma bypassed several channels – including an interview process and the application formalities – to make him the NDPP. He confirmed that “political interference” was prevalent at the NPA during Msholozi’s presidency.
Along with Zuma’s lawyer Mike Hulley, the pair conspired to give Nxasana the role, but this conflicted with what he had already been told. As he shared with the inquiry, he understood that Jeff Radebe has promised Nomgcobo Jiba the role instead.
Jeff Radebe, Nomgcobo Jiba dragged through the mud
This is the second time in two days that the former minister has been accused of interfering with a department that is not in his remit. However, as he began his work, Mxolisi Nxasana did some digging on Jiba herself.
He found that she had no solid evidence in her case against Johan Booysens, but was desperate to secure a conviction against the KZN Hawks chief. Nxasana revealed that her “expert” testimony was a sham, and the charges against the officer were thoroughly trumped-up.
Nxasana deals with racketeering charges against former KZN Hawks Head, Johan Booysen, and says only one person has the authority to lay racketeering charges. He reports when he asked Jiba for her reasons, she said she relied on "so-called experts" while gesturing at a team.
— Erin Bates (@ermbates) June 12, 2019
“Political inteference” held Mxolisi Nxasana back
It didn’t end there. Nxasana says that he delivered a speech soon after he was appointed as NDPP, in which he declared he would be the first director to serve a full ten years term. Allegedly, he was later told by his PA that Lawrence Mrwebi said he won’t last three months in office.
He was also denied access to the files the department had on Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial, saying that Jiba had full control over the docket. If this accusation is true, it shows JZ had his cronies covering up his crimes.
