The NPA has recently come under fire after a series of high-profile setbacks, including the collapse of key State Capture-related court cases and the failed prosecution of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso on charges of rape and human trafficking. This week, the Free State High Court also ruled that the NPA’s August 2024 extradition of Moroadi Cholota was invalid.

In addition, unresolved extradition cases involving the Gupta brothers in the United Arab Emirates and fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, in Malawi continue to raise questions about the NPA’s effectiveness.

Fick, however, says the blame should not fall solely on the NPA.

"There will always be failures. But let's concentrate on the win. But I think the problem this speaks to, is that there's a bigger problem," she said. "If you ask about state capture cases how many of them have been successfully prosecuted? And I am not talking about the one or two that there was a failure. What about the others?"

She added: "Then I'm also questioning, are we able to go after and reduce our crime rate? And that speaks to a multifaceted solution to the problem. The problem is not just the NPA not securing convictions. I think it's also a question of, do we have capable investigations?"

--ChannelAfrica--