Leadership Profile

DR SILAS RAMAITE: DEPUTY NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY – SOUTH AFRICA

Dr Silas Ramaite was appointed Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions by the State President in 2003. He holds the degrees B. Proc (University of Fort Hare), LL.B; LL.M, specializing in Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Public International Law and LL.D specializing in Constitutional Law (University of South Africa). He was admitted as an Advocate of the Supreme Court in 1988 and was granted the status of Senior Counsel (SC) in 2001.

Dr Ramaite is the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions responsible for Specialized Commercial Crime, Priority Crimes Litigation, Sexual Offences and Community Affairs and Witness Protection.

Prior to his appointment as Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions in 2003, Dr Ramaite was a Special Director of Public Prosecutions in the office of the National Director from 2001 to 2003 and the Director of Public Prosecutions for North Gauteng from 1998 to 2001.

Dr Ramaite has worked variously as an Interpreter, Clerk of the Court, Public Prosecutor, Magistrate, Candidate Attorney, State Advocate, Senior State Advocate and was appointed a Deputy Attorney-General in 1996. In 1997 he was the Chief Evidence Leader in the Goldstone Commission, appointed by the President to Enquire into allegations arising from the TRC Commission in relation to the Heidelberg Tavern Massacre. He has appeared as State Counsel in many reported cases, both in the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court. Dr Ramaite also previously lectured at University in The Law of Delict, Environmental Law and Constitutional Law.

Dr. Ramaite has delivered many papers at national and international conferences and has written a Chapter in a book Fighting Corruption. He is a member of various professional and research institutions, among others the Australian Institute of Governance, the Social Sciences Research Network and the International Association of Business Communicators and was formerly an active member of Lawyers for Human Rights. He is also a Licensed Financial Analyst (LFA).