Six people have been shortlisted for the National Director of Public Prosecutions post, which becomes vacant when Shamila Batohi retires in January.

• Six people have made the shortlist of candidates who will be interviewed for the National Director of Public Prosecutions post.
• The current director, Shamila Batohi, retires in January.
• The advisory panel assisting with the selection process has invited interested persons and institutions to make submissions on the candidates’ suitability.

Six people have been shortlisted for the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) post, which becomes vacant when Shamila Batohi retires in January.

Among them are Investigating Directorate Against Corruption head Andrea Johnson; her predecessor, Hermione Cronje; and the former NDPP, Menzi Simelane.

In a statement issued on Thursday morning, the justice ministry said the advisory panel President Cyril Ramaphosa had set up to assist with the selection process, met on Tuesday this week.

“The sitting follows last week’s resolution by the panel to extend the recruitment process in order to broaden the pool of potential candidates. Through the Legal Practice Council, a call was issued to all law bodies to assist in widening the scope of nominations,” the statement read.

“In this regard, the panel met and during the meeting, the panel considered a total of 32 applications and identified six candidates who met the minimum requirements.”

The shortlisted candidates also include current Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Nicolette Bell; her deputy, Adrian Mopp; and Xolisile Jennifer Khanyile, who is the chairperson of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime.

Thursday’s statement included brief profiles of the shortlisted candidates, which set out their backgrounds and experience.

Johnson, it stated, previously served as a deputy DPP, prosecutor, State advocate, and national coordinator for the organised crime component in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“She has also served as acting special director at the NPA,” it added.

Meanwhile, Cronje is “a freelance international anti-corruption and asset recovery specialist, working on short-term contracts with international development institutions and South African non-governmental organisations,” the statement read.

It noted her previous experience as a consultant to the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative, independent commissioner for the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine, strategic advisor to the GlobE Network, consultant to Open Secrets, and researcher at the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit at the University of Cape Town.

“She has also practised as an advocate of the High Court and member of the Cape Bar, and held roles in the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) as regional head, senior State advocate and junior State advocate. Earlier roles include professional assistant to the NDPP at the NPA and researcher to the Select Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development in Parliament,” it added.

The statement further noted that Simelane, whose 2009 appointment as NDPP by former president Jacob Zuma was found to be invalid by the Constitutional Court in 2012, “practises as an advocate with the Johannesburg Society of Advocates”, and that his previous positions included special adviser to former minister Lindiwe Sisulu, director-general of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, chief legal counsel at the Competition Commission, and research assistant at the Agricultural Research Council.

Bell’s previous roles as deputy DPP, a senior State advocate and public prosecutor at the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court were also highlighted.

The statement indicated that Mopp’s “previous roles include regional head and deputy regional head for Special Operations in the Western Cape, Deputy DPP in the AFU, senior State advocate in the Investigating Directorate for organised crime and at the Office of the Auditor-General, and public prosecutor in Kimberley and Makhanda”.

“Earlier experience includes practising as a candidate attorney at Frank Sithole & Company, serving as a detective in the South African Police Service, and chairing both the Tax Board in KwaZulu-Natal and the Municipal Bids Appeal Tribunal,” it added.

Finally, the statement said, Khanyile was a former director at the Financial Intelligence Centre, the Free State DPP, the acting deputy NDPP, acting DPP in South Gauteng, senior deputy DPP, deputy DPP in the AFU, and senior State advocate in Johannesburg.

“The candidates will be advised of the interview arrangements in due course, and in line with the principles of transparency and openness, the panel invites comments from interested persons and institutions on the suitability or otherwise of the candidates identified for interviews,” the ministry said on Thursday.

It added that the panel was “still targeting 10 to 11 December 2025 for the interview process”.

In the interim, submissions can be sent to the secretariat at [email protected].

The cut-off for submissions is 5 December.