National Prosecuting Authority in massive recruitment drive

THE National Prosecuting Authority has embarked on a massive recruitment exercise with vacancies from public prosecutors, to chief public prosecutors aimed at equipping the establishment with legally qualified personnel.

The NPA has been operating with 315 prosecutors some of them non-degreed, but Treasury last year approved an establishment of 417.

In a vacancy notice, the NPA invited applications to fill the positions of public prosecutors, senior public prosecutors, principal public prosecutors and chief public prosecutors.

"The National Prosecuting Authority is established in terms of Section 258 of the Constitution with the responsibility to institute and undertake criminal prosecutions on behalf of the State in the Public interest. Career opportunities have arisen in the National Prosecuting Authority," read the notice.

"The National Prosecuting Authority invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced personnel to fill vacancies that may have arisen."

Among the requirements for the posts are at least a law degree (LLB) or Masters Degree in Law as well as relevant experience depending on the posts.

In an interview yesterday, Prosecutor General Advocate Ray Goba declined to disclose the number of vacancies available. "We are seeking applications across those different grades and the information that is relevant will be supplied to the candidate. As to how many we intend to recruit depends on the number of people that will be found suitable."

"Those vacancies exist because of an establishment that was approved by Government. So to tell you that we are looking for 200 or 100 we wouldn't do that," he said.

Adv Goba confirmed that there were people who had resigned and were included in the number of vacancies advertised.

"How many we will employ will depend on the size of our establishment. The vacancies that exist are actually the vacancies that exist on the establishment that was approved," he said.

Adv Goba declined to shed light on what would happen to police or army prosecutors that are seconded to the NPA after the recruitment of qualified personnel.

"I don't know, I can't tell you today that the police that are seconded will go away.

"I think it's actually politically incorrect to say that about people that have been serving Government, they are also Zimbabweans; they are Zimbabweans serving the Government and so to appear as if we will throw them into the dust bin is not right. I don't want to speak that language.

He added: "As you know they are seconded. Those are people on secondment; those are not members of the NPA, they are seconded from elsewhere. So the issue of what happens to them is not critical, what is critical is that we fill up the establishment of the NPA that has been approved by Government."

Soon after his appointment last year, Adv Goba hinted that his office planned to recruit 102 young lawyers to work as prosecutors.

"Recruitment of the 102 is expected to be the answer to concerns raised by members of the public regarding the issue of police, army and prison service prosecutors. We will be able to recruit young lawyers who are unemployed and make the conditions attractive to retain them," he said.