The South African Federation of Trade Unions welcomes the appointment of Adv Andy Mothibi as Director of Public Prosecutions within the National Prosecuting Authority.
This appointment comes at a critical moment for South Africa. The working class and the poor continue to bear the cost of corruption, state capture, corporate criminality, illicit financial flows, and a culture of impunity that has hollowed out public institutions, destroyed jobs, undermined service delivery, and deepened inequality.
SAFTU notes that Advocate Mothibi assumes this responsibility with no public record of personal corruption or adverse judicial findings against him. His tenure in public service has unfolded under intense scrutiny, reflecting the difficult and often hostile terrain faced by institutions tasked with confronting entrenched corruption networks.
However, SAFTU wishes to be unequivocally clear: our welcome is principled, not personal, and it is not unconditional.
The crisis facing the criminal justice system is not merely one of leadership changes, but of outcomes. South Africans have waited far too long for:
• Successful prosecution of those responsible for state capture and grand corruption
• Decisive action against corporate crime, tender fraud, price-fixing, collusion, and tax evasion
• Accountability for those who looted public resources while workers lost jobs and communities were plunged into poverty
The appointment of a new Director of Public Prosecutions must therefore mark a clear break from delay, paralysis, and selective justice.
SAFTU expects the National Prosecuting Authority under its new leadership to:
• Act independently and without fear or favour, regardless of political or economic power
• Prioritise prosecutions that strike at the commanding heights of corruption, including both political elites and corporate beneficiaries
• Restore public confidence by demonstrating that no one is above the law
As a federation rooted in the struggles of workers and communities, SAFTU will continue to support the strengthening of independent institutions, while remaining vigilant, critical, and uncompromising in defence of accountability.
We reiterate: confidence must be earned through decisive action, not declarations.
The working class demands justice — not tomorrow, not in commissions, but in courts of law.
A statement was issued on behalf of the SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
For media inquiries, contact the National Spokesperson at:
Newton Masuku
newtonm@saftu.org.za
0661682157
