Radebe defends Simelane's appointment
27 November 2009, 07:44
By Sipho Khumalo
Political Staff
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe has defended the appointment of advocate Menzi Simelane as the head of the National Prosecuting Authority, saying he is appropriately qualified, fit and proper to do the job.
Radebe was responding to a question during a debate on the transformation of the judiciary, held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban last night.
He said he was happy that President Jacob Zuma had appointed Simelane.
"His background speaks for itself. He holds two degrees, including an LLB; he was a director of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development," he said.
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"I will address the issue of the Ginwala Commission and why I did not take the Public Services Commission's advice at a press conference in Johannesburg on Monday," he said.Political Staff
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe has defended the appointment of advocate Menzi Simelane as the head of the National Prosecuting Authority, saying he is appropriately qualified, fit and proper to do the job.
Radebe was responding to a question during a debate on the transformation of the judiciary, held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban last night.
He said he was happy that President Jacob Zuma had appointed Simelane.
"His background speaks for itself. He holds two degrees, including an LLB; he was a director of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development," he said.
Decisiveness
Another Durban advocate, Dumisani Dlamini, applauded the decisiveness of the government in appointing Simelane.
"It is not the first time that a person who has worked for the government had been appointed to this position. The first director of public prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, was a member of Parliament before the appointment," said Dlamini.
The decision has been roundly criticised by opposition parties and legal experts, who have cited Simelane's testimony before the Ginwala Commission.
The commission suggested that Simelane had lied during an inquiry into whether former NPA head Vusi Pikoli was fit and proper to hold office.
University of the Western Cape legal expert Pierre de Vos said it was difficult to sustain the "fiction" that Simelane was remotely "fit and proper".
- This article was originally published on page 4 of The Mercury on November 27, 2009
Durban
