Mxolisi Sandile Oliver Nxasana was the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, the head of the

National Prosecuting Authority The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) is the agency of the South African government responsible for state prosecutions. Under Section 179 of the Constitution and the National Prosecuting Authority Act of 1998, which established the NPA in 199 ...

. In August 2013 he was appointed NDPP by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

effective from 1 October 2013. After a protracted enquiry into his fitness to hold office, Nxasana agreed to step down from his position as NDPP on 31 May 2015, effective from 1 June 2015. Nxasana has a MA in

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from the

University of Durban-Westville The University of Durban-Westville (UDW) was a university situated in Westville, a town situated near Durban, South Africa, which opened in 1972. It is now one of the campuses of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was initially established for ...

, a B.Proc degree from the

University of Zululand The University of Zululand or UniZulu is the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education ...

and completed his

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

qualification at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

in 1995. Prior to his appointment as NDPP, he was a practising attorney in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

. Despite delays in being issued security clearance for the NDPP position, Nxasana maintained that he was fit for the office. His security clearance was eventually denied for failing to disclose that in 1985 he had been tried on a murder charge, of which he was acquitted on grounds of

self-defence Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

. He did however declare two convictions for assault. On 5 July 2014, President Zuma announced an inquiry to determine whether Nxasana was fit and proper to hold office in terms of section 12(6)(a)(iv) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act, 1998. In December 2017, a court ruled that the termination of Nxasana's contract as NDPP had been invalid, and that he had to repay a R17 million payment he received on leaving the post. It was held that Nxasana should have known the payout was unlawful.

Legal experience

Nxasana's legal experience includes: * 1994–1996: Joined Ngubane & Partners in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

as a candidate attorney and served articles of clerkship * 1997: Admitted as attorney of the

High Court of South Africa The High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law in South Africa. It is divided into nine provincial divisions, some of which sit in more than one location. Each High Court division has general jurisdiction over a defined geographical ...

* 2001: Appointed member of the Board of Control for the School for Legal Practice, Durban * 2007: Served as a member of the focus working group responsible for the drafting of the Legal Services Charter * 2007: Appointed member of a KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Tribunal, to investigate the circumstances that led to a strike by nurses * 2011–2012: Appointed President of the KwaZulu-Natal Law Society * 2012: Appointed Chairperson of the Durban branch of the South African Black Lawyers Association

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nxasana, Mxolisi 20th-century South African lawyers University of Durban-Westville alumni University of Zululand alumni University of the Witwatersrand alumni 21st-century South African lawyers South African prosecutors