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President Cyril Ramaphosa has undertaken to ensure that leadership issues at the National Prosecuting Authority are urgently addressed "to ensure that this critical institution is stabilised and able to perform its mandate unhindered".
This follows a Constitutional Court judgment on Monday in which the appointment of Shaun Abrahams as National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) was declared invalid and unconstitutional.
The court found that the decision by former president Jacob Zuma to remove Abrahams' predecessor Mxolisi Nxasana from the position was an abuse of power and that Abrahams was a beneficiary of that abuse.
READ: 10 blistering quotes from the ConCourt ruling on Shaun Abrahams, Nxasana
After the ruling, the Presidency said in a statement that it was studying the judgment and that it was cognisant of the order directing Ramaphosa to appoint a new NDPP head within 90 days.
"In studying the judgment, the Presidency is guided by undertaking given by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the February 2018 State of the Nation Address that South Africa's law enforcement institutions should be strengthened and shielded from external interference of manipulation," the Presidency said.
It added that Ramaphosa had undertaken to ensure that the leadership issues were addressed and that steps taken would be communicated in due course.
In terms of Section 179(1) (a) of the Constitution, an NDPP is appointed by the president, as the head of the national executive.
