Advocate Andrew Chauke, the controversial South Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and an alleged central State Capture enabler, has been suspended with immediate effect.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the decision in terms of section 14(3) read with 12(6)(a) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act had been taken pending an inquiry into Andrew Chauke's fitness to hold office.

Chauke has been at the centre of allegations over many years that he has acted as a gatekeeper and had weaponised the NPA to protect the politically powerful and corrupt.

State Capture

As Ra'eesa Pather of Open Secrets noted in 2o22 as the DPP in Joburg, Chauke had made decisions on prosecutions that are heard in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg.

"These included decisions on State Capture cases in the South Gauteng region, which have been assigned to Chauke's office. Many State Capture cases have seen little progress from law enforcement agencies, including the cases of corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa)," she noted.

Chauke has occupied the job since 2011 and was appointed by the president (Jacob Zuma at the time), who has the power to remove him,...