By Daanyaal Matthews
Timothy Omotoso has been acquitted of 32 charges, ranging from rape to human trafficking, following a ruling by the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court. The decision has sparked outrage from civil activists and the National Prosecuting Authority’s National Director, Shamala Batohi, who stated that they would investigate the case further as the judge overseeing the decision had cited transgressions by the prosecutor.
Speaking on VOC Sunday Live, Namuma Mulindi, policy development and advocacy specialist at Sonke Gender Justice, argued that the fault from the prosecutor was rooted in arrogance, suggesting that they had assumed that they would win the case and had not done their due diligence.
Mulindi however notes that a positive from the ruling is the greater focus it places on the NPA.
“It’s sad, but it’s great that it brings a highlight to the NPA itself. So that the NPA knows that there is a spotlight on them and there is a greater expectation,” she noted.
The ruling has reignited debate on the effectiveness of the legal system in prosecuting cases of sexual violence. According to Mulindi, the issue lies not in the legislation itself, but in its lack of enforcement.
“What we have is a gap between the policies that have been developed and implementation. The duty bearers are not implementing when they should, and the issue now is, how do we hold them accountable to implement the great laws that are there?”
Listen to the full interview here:
Photo: SABCNews
