Shamila Batohi (born 27 January 1961) is a South African prosecutor. She currently serves as South Africa’s National Director of Public Prosecutions.
She was the first regional head of the Directorate of Special Operations in KwaZulu-Natal. In February 2019, she was appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) of South Africa.
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| Quick Facts | |
| Name: | Shamila Batohi |
| Born: | 27 January 1961 (age 64 years old), Durban, South Africa |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Education: | Law |
| Alma mater: | University of Durban–Westville University of Natal |
| Spouse: | Dr Raj Somaru |
| Children: | 2 |
Early Life
Shamila Batohi was born on 27 January 1961 in Durban, in the former Natal Province. She grew up in Clare Estate, an Indian suburb of Durban.
Education
Batohi attended Burnwood Secondary School in Clare Estate, where she also represented Natal schools in athletics.
After finishing high school, she earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Durban-Westville. She later completed a postgraduate law degree at the University of Natal.
Career
Shamila Batohi began her career in 1986 as a junior prosecutor at the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court.
In 2000, she led the cross-examination for the King Commission during the South African cricket team’s tour of India. She worked as a public prosecutor in Natal, later known as KwaZulu-Natal, for 15 years.
President Nelson Mandela seconded Batohi to the Investigation Task Unit (ITU), where she worked on cases involving political crimes. She later became the first regional head of the Directorate of Special Operations in KwaZulu-Natal.
After the end of apartheid, she worked in the Natal Attorney-General’s office. In 1995, she was seconded to Frank Dutton’s Investigation Task Unit, a multi-disciplinary law enforcement team.
In 1997, she was appointed Deputy Attorney-General, later known as Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions. This made her the first person of colour to hold this position in the province.
She later became the Director of Public Prosecutions for the KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), serving from 2000 to 2009.
Advocate Batohi then left the NPA and moved to The Hague, where she worked as a senior legal adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court from 2009 to 2018. She remained in this role until her appointment as head of the NPA.
She has worked on several high-profile cases, including investigations into hit-squad allegations involving former defence minister Magnus Malan and 16 others. She was also involved in the prosecution of 21 accused in the R31 million SBV cash robbery.
In February 2019, she was appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) of South Africa, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
She later announced the revival of NPA investigations into apartheid-era crimes that had been examined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Personal Life
Shamila Batohi is married to a dentist, Dr Raj Somaru. She is a proud mother of two children, Nikhil and Shaunik.
References
- Chanelle Lutchman and Nadia Khan. “New NPA boss promises to serve South Africans“. PressReader.
- “Shamila Batohi has never sought extension of her term of office: NPA“. TimesLive.
- Thando Nondywana. “Shamila Batohi’s been in the job for 6 years. Here’s how many high-profile convictions she’s secured“. The Citizen.
- Glynnis Breytenbach. “6 months to find a new NDPP – your clock is ticking Mr President“. www.da.org.za.
- “Batohi has proved herself before“. IOL.
