Public Interest SA Calls on NPA to Withdraw Discredited Prosecution Against Brigadier Mokwele and Others

JOHANNESBURG | Sunday, 26 July 2026 — Public Interest SA calls on the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Andy Mothibi, to demonstrate decisive leadership by immediately withdrawing the prosecution against Brigadier Dineo Mokwele, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo and their co-accused.

The continued prosecution has become a defining test of the National Prosecuting Authority's commitment to justice, fairness and prosecutorial independence.

Leadership is measured not only by the willingness to prosecute where the evidence warrants it, but equally by the courage to discontinue proceedings where they no longer serve the interests of justice.

"The testimony of irreparably discredited Advocate Andrea Johnson under oath has raised profound questions regarding the competence and sustainability of this prosecution. Those admissions have significantly undermined confidence in the continued viability of the charges and have reinforced concerns that the accused are being subjected to an unjust and unnecessary legal ordeal," says Tebogo Khaas, chairperson of Public Interest SA.

Public Interest SA is of the firm view that no individual should remain under the burden of a prosecution that has lost its legal and moral credibility. Justice delayed in correcting an apparent prosecutorial error is justice denied.

The NPA must resist any temptation to hide behind procedural delays, internal processes or institutional inertia. The Constitution entrusts the prosecuting authority with a duty to act without fear, favour or prejudice. That duty necessarily includes acknowledging when a prosecution should not continue.

This matter presents an opportunity for Advocate Mothibi to reinforce public confidence in the NPA by demonstrating that prosecutorial decisions are guided exclusively by the evidence, the law and the interests of justice — not by institutional pride or an unwillingness to correct mistakes.

Public Interest SA therefore calls upon the NDPP to urgently review this matter and to withdraw the charges against Brigadier Mokwele, Lieutenant General Khumalo and the remaining accused without further delay.

The integrity of South Africa's criminal justice system depends not only on securing lawful convictions, but also on ensuring that innocent persons are not subjected to prolonged and unjustified prosecutions.

The question before the leadership of the NPA remains:

Quo vadis, Mothibi's NPA?

ENDS

Media Enquiries: Email: media@publicinterest.org.za WhatsApp: 084 566 5400