The panel, which will call for nominations for the next National Director of Public Prosecutions, comprises leaders of the legal fraternity and Chapter Nine institutions.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has set up the long-awaited panel tasked with finding the person who will fill the top job at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

In a statement on Tuesday night, 7 October, Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said South Africa's new National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) would be chosen through "an open and transparent process that reflects the importance of this vital position in our democracy".

"President Ramaphosa considers the National Director of Public Prosecutions as a vital position in our democracy that makes an essential contribution to upholding the rule of law and ensuring the efficiency and integrity of law enforcement," said Magwenya.

Advocate Shamila Batohi, the current head of the NPA, will retire in January 2026.

She has brought a measure of stability to the role after the turmoil of the Jacob Zuma years, Daily Maverick reported. But the structural damage done to the institution during the State Capture years had been hard to reverse.

Batohi was appointed, as required by the Constitution in section 179(1)(a), by the President...