Johannesburg - Corrupt politicians have crippled the National Prosecuting Authority, rendering it toothless so that their corruption is not prosecuted, the EFF said on Friday afternoon.
This comes after the High Court in Pretoria ruled that NPA boss Shaun Abrahams must vacate his seat.
READ: NPA boss Shaun Abrahams must vacate his job, judge rules
Judge Dunstan Mlambo further ruled it would not be just for the former prosecutions boss Mxolisi Nxasana to be reinstated and that due to his pending corruption case, President Jacob Zuma was conflicted in appointing a new national director of public prosecutions.
He ruled that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has two months to appoint a new head of the National Prosecuting Authority.
However, the presidency announced later on Friday that Zuma would appeal the judgment.
READ: Zuma to appeal NPA judgment
"Whilst the president awaits a full briefing on the judgment, he has been advised that an early assessment displays, with respect, various grounds upon which a successful appeal may be prosecuted," the presidency said in a statement.
EFF spokesperson Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the ruling was a victory of the just rule of law.
"It is not a secret that the reason Jacob Zuma has not been held been charged is because he has single-handedly rendered the NPA toothless," Ndlozi said.
Ndlozi said the judgment would restore the NPA.
Independence of judiciary
Freedom Under Law, Corruption Watch and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) had gone to court seeking an order declaring Nxasana’s removal invalid.
Nxasana accepted a golden handshake from Zuma worth R17.3m and left the National Prosecuting Authority in 2015.
Before that, an inquiry into his fitness to hold office was abruptly halted without explanation.
The organisations wanted his removal set aside and the golden handshake repaid.
During the hearing in November, the court heard that Zuma tried to "bully" Nxasana out of office by using an inquiry into his fitness.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) said on Friday that the ruling put the power firmly in the hands of Ramaphosa to save South Africa.
"Ramaphosa has now been provided with the opportunity to remove a serious blockage in the criminal prosecution system, by placing the right person with sufficient moral courage to head up the National Prosecution Authority," Chief Operating Officer at OUTA Ben Theron said.
"It's time that the NPA was headed up by an action oriented professional who won’t be influenced with bribes, lawlessness or intimidation," Theron said.
OUTA’s Chief Executive Officer Wayne Duvenage said taxpayers' contributions have been abused by those in the executive, in order to silence opponents and weaken law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
"This ruling confirms the independence of the judiciary and is the first step to once again strengthen the criminal justice system against the sinister interference in due process. OUTA would like this to be a warning to those in the executive that the power of interference is slipping away, and justice will be served," Duvenage said.
