News24 | Murder of Eastern Cape prosecutors ‘an attack on the rule of law’- NPA

National Prosecuting Authority prosecutor Tracy Brown was “shot assassination-style by four armed men in front of her house” in Gqeberha in the presence of her partner and child on Thursday.

• The NPA is “deeply disturbed” after the murder of one of its prosecutors in Gqeberha.
• Tracy Brown was “shot assassination-style” by four armed men in front of her home on Thursday.
• This after another prosecutor was murdered near Mthatha in April.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has described the murder of one of its Eastern Cape prosecutors - the second in three months - as an “assassination-style” killing.

Tracy Brown was “shot assassination-style by four armed men in front of her house” in Gqeberha in the presence of her partner and child on Thursday, NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said.

“The motive for Brown’s senseless killing is unknown. Her murder is an attack on the rule of law and our tireless efforts to hold criminals accountable,” Mhaga added.

“The NPA, together with law enforcement, will spare no effort in ensuring that the perpetrators of this brutal murder are brought to justice.”

Police spokesperson, Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, said the prosecutor was shot at around 15:30 in Young Park by four masked gunmen.

“The motive and the suspects are unknown, and the investigation is ongoing,” Janse van Rensburg said.

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This follows the murder of Ngcobo Magistrate’s Court prosecutor Elona Sombulula in April this year.

Sombulula, 30, was shot dead on his way home to Mtentu Village outside Mthatha. Police said Sombulula sustained a single shot to the head.

Mhaga said that the “recent killing of prosecutors, who put their lives on the line every day in the pursuance of justice, is deeply disturbing”.

“Our prosecutors take on their duties with courage and a deep commitment to serving the people, often at great personal risk. To target those who dedicate their lives to upholding the law is to strike at the heart of our constitutional democracy,” Mhaga said.

“We will not be deterred in our resolve to deliver on our mandate to ensure justice for the people of our country.”