There are some jobs in SA that no-one has managed to survive. Bafana Bafana coach, police commissioner and national director of public prosecutions are three examples. The last of these may be the most poisoned of chalices. In the history of democratic SA, no head of the prosecuting authority has ever served a full 10-year term. So in June last year, when advocate Shaun Abrahams was announced as the institution’s new leader (and the first insider to fill the role), the reception was understandably cynical. Make no mistake: the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has always been a heavily politicised and deeply factionalised organisation. In this context, there was already considerable doubt that Abrahams would be able to remain independent. His detractors saw him as aligned to the controversial (and now suspended) deputy director Nomgcobo Jiba and by implication, to President Jacob Zuma. Sure, Abrahams had been a successful prosecutor. He had won plaudits in some high-profile cases...
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