In a poignant memorial ceremony yesterday in Gqeberha, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officially honoured the life and career of Regional Court prosecutor Tracy Brown, whose dedicated service was brutally cut short when she was assassinated outside her Gqeberha home in Loton Road, Young Park, on 31 July in front of her partner and young daughter.
Her colleague and friend, Riana Els, shared nothing but good things about Brown’s life and her dedication to upholding the law. She was described by Els as friendly, courageous, soft-spoken, funny, a fighter, a fantastic family-oriented individual, and one of the best prosecutors in Gqeberha.
During his address, Eastern Cape’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Barry Madolo, condemned the killing of prosecutors and stated that he constantly loses his best soldiers, noting that Brown was one of the best prosecutors he had. “We have lost once again one of our soldiers,” he said. “As the NPA, we will not be deterred from seeking justice; we will fight until the bitter end. In honour of Tracy Brown, we will intensify our fight against crime.”
He added a message to current prosecutors that the fight must continue. “Stay strong in what you are doing. Have faith in the Almighty and your protection will come from above,” Madolo said. “In the next few days, we will catch the perpetrators who took Brown’s life,” stating that there is already a person of interest in the murder of the prosecutor. “Hang in there, and let us fight the good fight,” he said.
The MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha, said that the Eastern Cape is profoundly shocked by this cruel act against the prosecutor, which occurred the day before the commemoration of Women’s Month. Speaking alongside the Minister of Justice, Mmamoloko Kubayi, he said, “As the province of Eastern Cape, we have three crime hotspots: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Buffalo City Municipality, and O.R. Tambo Municipality. In NMBM, Young Park [where the incident took place] is not part of the hotspots.” Reassuring Brown’s family, he said, “The police are doing everything they can to bring the perpetrator(s) to book, with a person of interest already identified. We expect arrests regarding this matter soon.”
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Noting the recent violence against prosecutors, Nqatha said, “We want to warn criminals to stop the brutal killing of prosecutors, as the act will not make the cases the prosecutors have against them disappear. We will continue to pursue the cases. We suspect that prosecutors and law enforcement members are being murdered for upholding the rule of law and protecting their communities.” The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster – a government initiative that brings together various departments and law enforcement entities to work collaboratively on issues of justice, crime prevention, and security – is hitting the ground running in Nelson Mandela Bay to intensify the fight against crime.
Reassuring the Minister, Nqatha said, “We have one of the most functional clusters in the country and work well together. In an attempt to honour her, with the help of this cluster, we will ensure that justice is achieved and that those who commit crimes in our communities face the might of the law.” He added that as a cluster, they need to conduct an assessment of these cases against prosecutors so that they can be proactive against these crimes. “Some cases put our prosecutors at risk, and therefore we should be proactive; prosecutors dealing with dangerous cases need to be protected so that none of them lose their lives for pursuing justice. Law enforcement should collaborate to ensure that we protect each other.”
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who was present at the service, commended the work of Brown whilst urging law enforcement to intensify their efforts to protect prosecutors. She said that the justice family has been robbed of a dedicated prosecutor, a loyal public servant who prosecuted without fear or favour, which is rare to find. “Death has robbed us of a warrior of justice,” she said.
“Brown worked to ensure that gender-based and domestic violence perpetrators are brought to book and removed from society to prevent them from inflicting further harm on their victims. Her work in this role was so good that she was awarded a certificate of outstanding performance in recognition of her excellence,” Kubayi said. “Those who murdered her feared her and knew that she did her work too well. They knew that she would never let injustice go unpunished.”
She said that Brown wanted to win all of her cases. “Where crime is high in our country, a win for a prosecutor is a life saved, a child protected, and a woman’s life changed for the better,” something Kubayi said Brown lived by.
At the end of the memorial service, Chief Prosecutor Wilport Kankangu read out the names of the New Brighton prosecutors in a roll call, who responded with “Present.” However, when Tracy Brown’s name was read out, silence struck the hall, signifying her absence. “I will now permanently close the file of Tracy Brown,” he concluded.
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