Hermione Cronje
Hermione Cronje | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hermione Theresa Cronje 1970 or 1971 (age 53–54) |
| Alma mater | University of Cape Town Harvard Kennedy School |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Inaugural head of the Investigating Directorate (2019–2022) |
Hermione Theresa Cronje is a South African lawyer and former prosecutor. She was the inaugural head of the National Prosecuting Authority's Investigating Directorate (ID) from May 2019 to February 2022.
Early life and education
[edit]Cronje was born in 1970 or 1971.[1] She grew up on the Cape Flats of Cape Town. Among other places, her family spent time in Atlantis, Elsies River and Athlone.[2] After finishing high school, she attended the University of Cape Town, where she was the first black woman to serve as president of the student representative council.[2] She completed a BA in 1993 and an LLB in 1996.[3] 15 years later, while working as a prosecutor, she resumed her education at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she obtained an MPA in 2010.[3] She was admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa in 2000.[4]
Legal career
[edit]National Prosecuting Authority: 1998–2012
[edit]Cronje worked for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) continuously from 1998 to 2012.[3] She entered as an assistant to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Bulelani Ngcuka,[3] and in that capacity she was involved in establishing the NPA's investigating directorates for serious economic offences and organised crime respectively.[5] She became a founding member of the NPA's Asset Forfeiture Unit in 1999, and she went on to serve ten years as the head of the unit's Western Cape branch.[3] In that capacity she worked under Willie Hofmeyr,[6] and her notable cases included the confiscation application in Schabir Shaik's criminal trial.[2] During her last year at the NPA, she helped establish the government's multi-agency Anti-Corruption Task Team.[3]
Cape Bar: 2012–2019
[edit]In 2012, Cronje left the NPA to work in private practice at the Cape Bar.[2] From 2013 onwards, she was an expert consultant to the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative, a joint international asset recovery initiative of the World Bank and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).[5] In that capacity, she advised asset recovery and anti-corruption units in various countries;[3] she worked for several years on establishing and assisting the Tanzanian prosecuting authority's Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section.[1] In addition, she was the author of a 2017 UNODC study on the management of confiscated assets.[3]
Investigating Directorate: 2019–2021
[edit]In 2019, Cronje was recruited by the incumbent NDPP, Shamila Batohi, to consult on the design of the NPA's Investigating Directorate (ID), which was to be established inside the NDPP's office with a mandate to investigate and prosecute corruption and related offences.[6][7] On 17 May 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he had appointed Cronje to become the ID's inaugural director.[8] Her appointment received a broad welcome,[9][10] including from Corruption Watch.[11]
She was appointed to a five-year term beginning on 15 May 2019.[3] However, in December 2021, she announced her premature resignation from the ID.[12] The Sunday Times reported that her decision to leave was rumoured to stem from frustration at a skills shortage within the NPA that prevented the organisation from pursuing major state capture prosecutions,[13] while the Daily Maverick suggested that a lack of political will had presented a similar obstacle.[14] There were also rumours that her relationship with Batohi had deteriorated as a result of this frustration.[15] Batohi denied these rumours.[16][17] The Sunday Times later published a leaked copy of Cronje's resignation letter, in which she referred to the toll of the job on her health and family.[18]
She remained at the ID until 1 March 2022, when she was replaced by Andrea Johnson.[19] From 1 June that year, she worked part-time in the legal unit of Open Secrets, a non-profit organisation run by activist Hennie van Vuuren.[20] In November 2023, press quoted her despairing of a "skills catastrophe" in the NPA.[21]
Personal life
[edit]Cronje is married and has two children.[1] During her first year at the ID, she commuted between Pretoria and Cape Town, where her children attended school.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mashego, Abram (27 May 2019). "New Investigative Directorate boss Hermione Cronje: 'I'll give it my best shot'". City Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Wiener, Mandy (26 May 2019). "Hermione and her magic wand". News24. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "President Cyril Ramaphosa appoints Adv Hermione Theresa Cronje as Head of NDPP Investigating Directorate". South African Government. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Hermione Cronje". Franschhoek Literary Festival. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b "NPA's Hermione Cronje ready to swoop". Financial Mail. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b Toit, Pieter du (17 May 2019). "Ramaphosa appoints head of new NPA investigating unit". News24. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Who will head the state capture prosecution directorate?". The Mail & Guardian. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Hermione Cronje to head state capture investigations at NPA". Business Day. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Highly qualified and experienced woman will head state capture investigations". Sunday Times. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Adv Cronje's appointment shows Cyril's serious intent". Sowetan. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Corruption Watch pleased with Cronje's appointment at NPA". SABC News. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Ferreira, Emsie (2 December 2021). "Batohi confirms Cronje's departure from NPA's Investigating Directorate". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Gules, Nicki (12 December 2021). "Hermione Cronje quit NPA over 'skills catastrophe'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Bezuidenhout, Jessica (2 December 2021). "NPA's Investigating Directorate boss no more: Hermione Cronje quits after frustrating 30 months". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Lange, Jan De (5 December 2021). "Why NPA boss quit". City Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ McCain, Nicole (6 December 2021). "ID head Hermione Cronje has not resigned due to 'interpersonal relations', says NPA boss". News24. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Ferreira, Emsie (6 December 2021). "Batohi says Cronje's departure does not mean NPA is in crisis". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Gules, Nicki (20 January 2022). "Was Hermione Cronje pushed?". Sunday Times. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Mabuza, Ernest (28 February 2022). "NPA Investigating Directorate gets new boss after departure of Hermione Cronje". Sowetan. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Mosiana, Mamello (29 July 2022). "Accountability, not impunity: We are putting up Wanted posters!". Open Secrets. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Mkokeli, Sam (26 November 2023). "South Africa is denying its crime catastrophe, says former ID head". Business Times. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "NPA defends hotel stays and flights for investigative unit head". Sowetan. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.