A fearless fighter for justice Few are immune to Glynnis Breytenbach’s piercing stare and undeniable tenacity. This year’s Europcar Women in Leadership Award winner, Breytenbach was born and raised in Kimberley, and is today an advocate of the South Gauteng High Court. Armed with an unflinching belief in the rule of law, she has accomplished an enormous amount during her decades’ long legal, and, more recently, political career. “I was a specialist commercial prosecutor for 26 years, with a reputation for being tough, stubborn, and scrupulously fair,” she says. Breytenbach is probably best known for taking on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) after she was suspended from her position as a regional head of its Specialised Commercial Crime Unit. “When the NPA began to be hollowed out by the Zuma administration, I opposed the politically motivated withdrawal of the prosecution against Richard Mdluli, the former Head of South African Police Service Crime Intelligence,” she says. “For my trouble, I was subjected to a disciplinary hearing and later prosecuted.” The incident and the upheaval that followed was the biggest challenge she has faced, she says. “When the then national director of public prosecutions instructed me to withdraw the prosecution against Mdluli, I had to make a choice,” she says. “I had to choose between my own ethics, integrity, and the rule of law, and hanging on to my job, which I loved. I chose to take them on, lived through the life-changing consequences, and was vindicated. I won both cases, making the fight for the rule of law and the Constitution worth it. It demonstrated that it’s always best to follow your own ethics and integrity regardless of the perceived costs.” After being cleared of any wrongdoing, Breytenbach resigned from the NPA and joined the Democratic Alliance (DA) as a member of Parliament in 2014. She has also been a member of the Judicial Service Commission since 2019, with her term recently extended for another five years under the new Government of National Unity. In the past year, Breytenbach played an integral role in the DA’s campaign to bring the African National Congress’s support below 50% in the general election. “We succeeded spectacularly, with it achieving only 40%,” she says. “This has changed, dramatically, the trajectory of South Africa for the better, and we’re already seeing the benefits of a more ethically run coalition government.” She was also recently elected co-chairperson of Parliament’s Constitutional Review Committee, which many believe is a step forward in ensuring fair, principled leadership on constitutional matters. Breytenbach counts her work in both the legal and political arenas among her greatest achievements. In the domain of criminal law, she was a successful prosecutor who enjoyed the respect of her peers, both in the NPA and in private practice. “As a politician, I have gained a reputation for being fearless, fighting for the rights of ordinary people and holding, particularly politicians, to account loudly and publicly,” she says. “The removal of the previous public protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, was particularly satisfying, seeing as we alone had opposed her appointment from day one.” Breytenbach has also had much success in holding ministers and previous national directors of the NPA to account, eventually getting them removed from office. Both Nomgcobo Jiba and Shaun Abrahams were forced to vacate their NPA positions due to her efforts. “After the Thabo Bester debacle [when Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer, escaped from prison after faking his death] none of the ministers involved were returned to their same portfolios,” she says. “I played some part in Bheki Cele not returning to Parliament as police minister after his dismal performance in the Bester escape hearing. Then Justice Minister Ronald Lamola fared no better, and was forced to make a public apology for his abysmal performance.” In her role as a member of Parliament, Breytenbach works tirelessly to ensure the best interests of South Africa and South Africans. This includes taking all measures possible to ensure economic stimulation of the economy to reduce unemployment, improve education, and access to skills development. “My principal area of focus is to improve the justice system and crack down on corruption. To do this, I have drafted a Private Members Bill to set up a Chapter 9 institution styled as the Anti-Corruption Commission. This is a truly independent, wellresourced anti-corruption body that will go a long way to getting a handle on the rampant corruption in this country.” The Bill will be introduced in Parliament shortly. Throughout her noteworthy career, Breytenbach says she would like to think that she’s served as a strong role model for her peers. “I hope that I’ve inspired people to be tough and often abrasive, to work hard but always to be honest and fair,” she says. “Never do anything that cannot stand up to scrutiny.” She herself has been deeply impacted by meeting billionaire businessman and philanthropist Natie Kirsh. “His approach to life is fantastic, generous, and essentially optimistic,” she says. “I learned from him and his wife the joy of helping others, however modest the help is. I also learned to not fear making mistakes, but to recognise and correct them, and trust your instincts, but to carefully weigh risk and reward and never bet the farm. It changed my life exponentially.” Breytenbach says that over the past few years, although she hasn’t changed the way she does things, “I’ve learned to do much, much more in less time, and to think strategically and with a long-term perspective.” Yet she admits that finding a work-life balance is a challenge she’s yet to overcome. She does, however, try to make time for golf, gym, and swimming. If she had the chance to do one thing over again, Breytenbach says she’d do everything the same way. “I like to think that I’ve been part of the solution and not the problem,” she says. She advises someone entering her profession to “always work hard, always do the right thing, always listen to your conscience, and only do sunshine deals. Never do anything that you could be ashamed of.” Breytenbach’s career is a testament to the value of this philosophy. • Glynnis Breytenbach is also nominated in the Absa Professional Excellence category Glynnis Breytenbach As a politician, I have gained a reputation for being fearless, fighting for the rights of ordinary people and holding, particularly politicians, to account loudly and publicly. 36 “ Europcar Women in Leadership Award winner
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