The justice minister must, like Caesar’s wife, be beyond suspicion. Thembi Simelane never met that standard and her six-month tenure was remarkable only as time spent denying credible corruption allegations, rather than showing the decency to step aside. The justice minister holds final political responsibility for the embattled National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which must prosecute those involved in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. The possibility that she belongs on the list of accused created a searing conflict of interest. She refused to accept that fact, and seemed equally at sea on the other critical issues the justice minister must address, leaving the director general to do the necessary. Nothing qualified Mmamoloko Kubayi to take over except that she is not Simelane and is fiercely loyal to President Cyril Ramaphosa. She extended the same loyalty to Jacob Zuma and fought to shield him from sanction in the Nkandla scandal. We are unable to find proof of the integrity and independence the NPA needs in the minister, who holds the key to the Zondo archives. It should have cover to prosecute state corruption, not a placeholder who has never shone in any portfolio.
