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Johannesburg - Embattled National Prosecuting Authority head Mxolisi Nxasana wants millions in a golden handshake and two of his rivals out of the prosecuting authority before he will agree to leave, NPA sources have revealed.
City Press has been informed by three senior NPA sources that Nxasana wants R6m in compensation before he will consider leaving the NPA.
Nxasana, who had an inquiry into his fitness to hold office cancelled at the last minute, is said to be “very exhausted and bruised” by the airing of his dirty laundry in public.
A source close to Nxasana said the NPA boss was “under stress and pain” because of revelations about his past brushes with the law, and he wanted to spend time with his family.
“It has been a very difficult time for him and his family. Imagine when your children get to know that you once killed someone 30 years ago, and the matter gets brought up because of your position,” said a source close to Nxasana.
It emerged that Nxasana had failed to obtain security clearance because of a failure to disclose his past brushes with the law.
But a source familiar with negotiations taking place to pave the way for Nxasana’s exit dismissed the figure of R6m as a potential exit package, saying the prosecutions boss would hold out for more money.
“What is R6m? Nxasana wants more. The president wants to fire him, but he does not have any reasonable grounds to do so. The offer has to be irresistible for him because he has suffered a lot of reputational damage,” said the insider.
Plots
Another senior source within the NPA said one of Nxasana’s conditions was that his deputy, Nomgcobo Jiba, and the head of the specialised commercial crimes unit, Lawrence Mrwebi, be redeployed to another government department or entity as assurance to him that neither of them would end up leading the NPA.
Nxasana has previously written to President Jacob Zuma asking him to suspend the two NPA executives. He has been battling Jiba and Mrwebi since he was appointed, accusing them of plotting to oust him. The two have previously denied the allegations. They could not be reached for comment this week.
In March, Nxasana held a press conference to announce that he had tried unsuccessfully to serve Jiba with a summons to appear in court on charges of fraud and perjury.
The charges related to attempts by Jiba – when she was still acting NPA head – to charge KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Major General Johan Booysen with murder and racketeering over his involvement in an alleged police death squad unit.
However, those close to Jiba and Mrwebi said the two had not been informed by the presidency about Nxasana’s settlement demands.
Zuma’s spokesperson, Harold Maloka, did not respond to specific questions sent to him regarding Nxasana’s demands, but referred City Press to a statement issued on Monday confirming that Zuma had stopped the inquiry into Nxasana’s fitness to hold office.
In the statement, the presidency also said it would continue “engaging with Nxasana with a view to taking decisions which were in the best interests of the NPA, Mr Nxasana and the country at large”.
Maloka said the presidency would only make public the outcome of talks with Nxasana once they were concluded. But City Press understands that there had not been any contact between the parties in the past week.
Last July, Zuma served Nxasana with a letter informing him of his intention to suspend the prosecutions boss. But Nxasana rushed to court to challenge the move, saying he wanted more details regarding the reasons behind Zuma’s intention to suspend him.
A series of meetings were then held between the two, as well as between their legal representatives, following which Nxasana was allowed to remain at work.
Nxasana could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Busani Mabunda, said they would only comment once the president had made an announcement relating to Nxasana’s future.
