Disband, or empower the DPP

Mmegi Editor | Friday March 6, 2015 14:20

In-fact, the DPP then became an institution, which attracted esteemed lawyers who have since left to set up private firms. Some of them have made big names for themselves, whilst others have joined the bench as judges. Oh, the DPP was a great institution that secured a number of high profile convictions during those days. The same cannot be said about the DPP we have today.

Not only is the DPP head Rre Leonard Sechele a very ‘press shy’ officer, his juniors are also ‘court shy’. On Monday this week, Extension two Magistrate Court issued a warrant of arrest against a prosecutor who failed to show up in court for unexplained reasons. The officer was supposed to appear on a drunken driving case.

On Wednesday, the Francistown Sijabuliso Siziba discharged and acquitted accused persons linked to criminal activities that include threat to kill, and house break- in.

What is not fair about DPP officers’ failing to appear in court is that when the accused persons do not show up, they are locked in jail. In addition, there are those unfortunate ones who have no means to engage defence lawyers, and are languishing in jail as DPP officers sit in their air-conditioned homes and offices.

We wonder how many of these acquittals, or delayed cases, take place in areas where the private press is unable to reach. In the past we have spoken about Government’s seeming reluctance to avail resources for the DPP, which has led to great minds leaving the organisation searching for greener pastures elsewhere.

It is of the greatest importance that, as much as Government is doing everything in its power to capacitate security establishments such as the Directorate on Intelligence and Security Services (DISS), the same vigour should be displayed with other institutions such as DPP. It will be an unwise endeavour to empower one organisation at the expense of others when the ultimate product, which is to curb crime, should come from each entities’ respective effort.

This unfair empowerment of Government departments can only raise suspicions that there is a motive behind the move.

We hope that those empowered to provide resources to the DPP, human and otherwise, realise that things are out of control.

The time is now for them to take action, or we shall have no choice but to view the DPP as a non-entity. A weak DPP is a serious threat to our democracy!