Video
KNYSNA NEWS AND VIDEO - The Turbine Hotel and Spa was the venue for the second day of the Knysna Literary Festival where Glynnis Breytenbach sat down to be interviewed by respected journalists Mandy Wiener and Adriaan Basson.
The first question was one on everyone's minds: how does it feel to have just been acquitted in a court of law?
Breytenbach's response: “It feels great, I was vindicated and I expected it, although it's never predictable. It cost R10-million”.
Prosecuted 'to be humiliated'
She explained that after she won in the disciplinary court, she was taken to a criminal court, “in a politically driven attempt to be humiliated”.
Breytenbach and her lawyer were charged with defeating the ends of justice, fraud, perjury and deleting items on a laptop.
Basson then asked how can one stop abuse by the justice system for political purposes, and how it should be handled differently.
“There needs to be an independent judicial system, and independent commissioner of police, the top structure of the NPA must be independent,” was the response.
“You have to take away the absolute power of one person; a political appointment is always a compromise.”
Watch a video below.
Adriaan Basson, Glynnis Breytenbach and Mandy Wiener at the Knysna Literary Festival on Saturday 10 March. Photo: Yaseen Gaffar
Would she go back to the NPA?
Asked if she would go back to the NPA, Breytenbach responded, “Maybe.”
Breytenbach was also asked how she views the case against former president Jacob Zuma.
“That doesn’t mean anything. A decision to institute a prosecution doesn’t make it a prosecution, and it's easy to upset a prosecution. You need a lot of
evidence and documents, and it mostly depends on the lead prosecutor. You can appoint someone you know is not capable of the job, so that you can ensure they fail to successfully prosecute.”
Criminal system 'a mess'
A question by Mandy Wiener was, “What is the state of the criminal justice system?”
“The criminal system is a mess, police have poor leadership. The NPA is a bit better off, but they also have leadership issues. This can be fixed with top structure, and people will come back. I’m not in despair at the criminal justice system because it can get fixed provided there is no political influence.”
'Interference from the top'
She added, “Everyone should be worried that under Zuma nothing was happening; now under Cyril there are things happening. This is evidence that there is clear interference from the top.”
Asked to comment on what happened with all the cases that she handled in her time at the NPA, Breytenbach said, “They remain untouched, locked in an office as far as I know.”
Breytenbach was asked to conclude with her thoughts on the newly appointed minister of police, Bheki Cele, who made a return to that position.
“I think he is dangerous. He wasn’t a model for ethics and yet he is back with a bang. He says things out of place, which is incorrect and deeply concerning, People, even criminals, have rights. He doesn’t seem to have an affinity to operate within a constitutional democracy. I’m not a fan.”
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
