Riyaz Patel
Parliament’s Justice portfolio committee has suspended the process of deciding on the fate of axed National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officials Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi’s after the pair’s legal teams asked that the process be stopped pending a legal review.
Jiba wants the process put on hold because she has gone to court seeking a review of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to sack her and also to set aside the findings of the Mokgoro Commission, which recommended that she and her former NPA colleague, Mrwebi, be dismissed.
At the same time, Mrwebi has asked Parliament to stay its process pending the outcome of the interdict hearing, which is set down for the Western Cape High Court Wednesday.
The justice committee’s decision to hold off was informed by input from parliamentary legal adviser Siviwe Njikela when the committee met Tuesday morning.
“Yesterday then we were served with a court application by Advocate Jiba’s attorney wherein now they make an urgent application to the Western Cape High Court for an interdict to stop the process of Parliament to consider the matter of Advocate Jiba,” the committee said.
At the public inquiry into State Capture Monday, former NPA head Mxolisi Nxasana said Jiba and Mrwebi peddled lies to former President Jacob Zuma in relation to the reinstatement of charges against him.
Nxasana added that shortly after his appointment, he was told by the NPA’s Risk Specialist, Terrance Joubert, of a plot to oust him by Jiba and Mrwebi. He said Jiba told one Kenneth Mhlongo that he must get “dirt” on him.
