The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi says the agency’s crime-fighting abilities have been significantly boosted, which will see more corrupt municipal officials get their day in court. Briefing Parliament this week she says investigating corruption in municipalities, especially in the Free State, has shown good progress. Many of these cases sprout from PPE contracts, issued during the early days of the pandemic.

The unit is currently investigating 45 cases of alleged corruption, fraud, mismanagement, and maladministration in Free State municipalities, involving almost R700 million.