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The trick is not to bow to pressure, says candidate for top NPA job

Former Transnet general manager Advocate Siyabulela Mapoma
Former Transnet general manager Advocate Siyabulela Mapoma

Former Transnet general manager Advocate Siyabulela Mapoma has listed what he believes makes him the perfect candidate to become the next national director of public prosecutions (NDPP).

Interviewed by a panel in Pretoria on Wednesday, Mapoma said one of the first things that made him an ideal candidate was his passion for law.

“I am good with stakeholder management - in this case, the other partners in the [security] cluster,” he said, adding that he was also good at managing pressure.

That pressure, he said, could come from everywhere - from society to the presidency.

“But [you] should not allow any form of pressure to influence you,” he said.

He added that it was known that decisions taken by the National Prosecuting Authority were not always popular.

“There will always be some complaints of some kind ... But you learn to live with that,” he said.

“You know you are accountable to all the individuals of the country. That is where your focus should be,” he added.

He said another way to survive the position of NDPP would be to stick to the constitution and ensure that one’s independence remained clear.

Mapoma is one of five candidates being interviewed for the position which was left vacant following the removal of Shaun Abrahams.

Silas Ramaite has been acting in the position since August. He, too, has been interviewed for the permanent post.

Unlike Ramaite, who has years of experience in the legal fraternity, Mapoma has only been practicing for six years and held positions such as the acting CEO of Auto Pax, an intercity bus company.

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