Prosecutor’s murder has sent a chilling message

The brazen killing of Gqeberha prosecutor Tracy Brown outside her home last week was a direct attack on SA’s justice system.

Brown, a regional court prosecutor stationed at the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court, was gunned down in front of her home in Loton Street, Young Park, in full view of her family.

Four masked men opened fire while she was still seated in her car.

She was rushed to hospital, but succumbed to her injuries.

It was clearly a calculated hit as nothing was stolen, including her car.

This leads one to believe that it was probably linked to her work and the cases she was prosecuting.

By killing a prosecutor, those gunmen have sent a dangerous and destabilising message to law enforcement officers that those working to hold criminals accountable are not safe, even in their own homes.

The NPA has described it as an attack on the rule of law.

And it is exactly that.

For every prosecutor who now picks up a case file involving something serious or organised crime, the shadow of what happened to Brown will be forever looming.

And it was not the first such case — in April, prosecutor Elona Sombulula was killed in Ngcobo under similarly sinister circumstances.

These targeted killings threaten to erode the safety of prosecutors and the integrity of the justice system itself.

Who would now want to take on the role of prosecutor, especially if their portfolio includes particularly sensitive cases?

There must be an urgent review of the security and support provided to prosecutors, particularly those involved in high-risk or high-profile cases.

Justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has acknowledged this need, and it is now critical that the security cluster moves swiftly to implement real protection strategies for officers of the court.

There must also be unrelenting pressure to bring Brown’s killers to justice.

Failure to arrest and convict the perpetrators would embolden those who seek to undermine the law.

The Herald