Protecting the public or politically compromised? South Africa’s anti-corruption bodies

This report examines how the National Prosecuting Authority and the Public Protector have operated in a politically charged environment.

The National Prosecuting Authority and the Public Protector were intended to operate in the interests of the law and good governance but have they, in fact, fulfilled this role? This report examines how the two institutions have operated in the country’s politically charged environment. With South Africa’s president given the authority to appoint key personnel, and with a political drive to do so, the two bodies have at times become embroiled in political intrigues and have been beholden to political interests.

 
About the author

Judith February, research consultant for the ISS, is a governance specialist, columnist and lawyer. She was director of the HSRC’s governance unit from 2012 to 2014 and, before that, headed Idasa’s Political Information and Monitoring Service for nine years. She is a regular media analyst of South African politics and author of Turning and Turning: Exploring the complexities of SA’s democracy.

Picture: Amelia Broodryk/ISS