SOUTH AFRICA – PRETORIA – 20 February 2019. Suspended top NPA prosecutor, Advovate Nomgcobo Jiba during the break in the hearing led by retired Constitutional Court Judge Yvonne Mokgoro – who is probing her fitness to hold office in the NPA.
Picture: Oupa Mokoena / African News Agency (ANA)
Nomgcobo Jiba: Continues to fight for NPA reinstatement
By her application, Jiba has successfully prolonged the Parliamentary process to decide whether or not she should be reinstated.
SOUTH AFRICA – PRETORIA – 20 February 2019. Suspended top NPA prosecutor, Advovate Nomgcobo Jiba during the break in the hearing led by retired Constitutional Court Judge Yvonne Mokgoro – who is probing her fitness to hold office in the NPA.
Picture: Oupa Mokoena / African News Agency (ANA)
Nomgcobo Jiba, the former national deputy director of public prosecutions, stands to present her application challenging Justice Yvonne Mokgoro’s report – which found Jiba unfit for office- at the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.
Jiba continues to fight for her reinstatement
The former senior prosecutor wants the court to order President Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Director of Public Prosecutions to reinstate her, as the deputy national director of prosecutions.
Jiba applied for this urgent interdict to prevent Parliament from pursuing the President’s decision to fire her; since her last court proceedings, an agreement was reached that Parliament won’t pursue this matter further until her application was presented in court on 19 September.
What would happen if her application is successful?
If Jiba’s application to halt parliamentary proceedings regarding her dismissal is successful, then the proceedings would be suspended until Ramaphosa’s decision is reviewed by the relevant parties, which could also take a few months to conclude.
Jiba is relentless with the fight to get her job back, in August the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) requested a written testimony as to why she should not be fired, Jiba’s ally, Lawrence Mrwebi, the former special director of prosecutions complied but Jiba revealed her intention to fight the motion. Jiba followed through with her promise with the urgent application she filed to halt Parliament proceedings.
Why was Nomgcobo Jiba fired?
Jiba and Mrwebi were fired by the President from their posts within the NPA, following counsel received at the Mokgoro Inquiry. Jiba was accused of nepotism during the inquiry and accused of playing a strong arm in the firing of Hawks former boss, Johan Booysens.
The former senior prosecutor was also accused of bias, as the inquiry stated that there was an absence of mindfulness in considering the NPA’s reputation during her shenanigans.
Mrwebi was in the hot seat for his decision to withdraw corruption charges against Richard Mdluli, the former police Crime Intelligence head, who was also consequently fired from his position in 2018, after being suspended for six years while he was on trial for a kidnapping and alleged murder that took place in 1998. The controversy continued to loom as Mdluli also faced countless allegations of corruption, which former special director of prosecutions dropped.
The Pretoria High Court ruling indicated that Jiba and Mrwebi be barred from practising in the legal profession however the Constitutional Court came to their defence and overturned this ruling.
