William Andrew "Willie" Hofmeyr (born 22 November 1954) is a South African lawyer and former politician who was Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions from 2001 to 2019.
[2] He matriculated at Nassau High School in Mowbray[1] and served his compulsory military service in the Transvaal, where he said he experienced "hardcore racism" for the first time and became politically "radicalised".
[1] At the same time, he remained active in the anti-apartheid movement, particularly in producing research and popular literature for the trade unions and as a member of the United Democratic Front (UDF), which he joined at its founding meeting in 1983.
[1][3] On the morning that the final draft was adopted, following last-minute negotiations, Hofmeyr famously said, "No one is really happy with this, but the fact that we are all a little unhappy should make everyone a little happier.
Hofmeyr's mandate was to establish and lead the new Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) within the framework of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
Although Hofmeyr opposed that policy, he played a key role in implementing it: under Mbeki's successor as national President, Kgalema Motlanthe, he was involved in drafting the relevant legislation and overseeing the transition to the new Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, a weaker anti-corruption unit located under the South African Police Service.
[8] Hofmeyr continued to defend the decision for years after, maintaining his position that there had been political interference in Zuma's prosecution: in a 2015 affidavit, he alleged that former NDPP Ngcuka, former Scorpions head Leonard McCarthy, and former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils had been "part of a broader collective of Mbeki supporters who viewed the NPA as a tool to fight Mbeki’s political battles".
[13]In 2019, however, Hofmeyr told an inquiry that he regretted the decision and had "overreact[ed]" to credible allegations that, in 2008, there had been political interference in Jackie Selebi's corruption trial.
[10]In 2010, shortly after Zuma's election as national President, new NDPP Menzi Simelane announced a plan to restructure the NPA, which included dismantling Hofmeyr's AFU.
[14] Weeks later, Simelane said that the relevant clause was "an unfortunate drafting error"; it was reported that Justice Minister Jeff Radebe had intervened to save Hofmeyr's job.
[15] In July 2011, the NPA announced that Hofmeyr was under investigation by the police in connection with alleged misappropriation of SIU funds in improperly awarded tenders.
[19] AmaBhungane said that Zuma and his supporters were suspicious of Hofmeyr because of his influence in the NPA, because of his association with a group of ex-Scorpions, Gerrie Nel among them, and because he was "seen as having changed since once too often" in ANC's factional politics, especially given that he was formerly viewed as "Mbeki's man".
[8][20] In August 2015, recently appointed NDPP Shaun Abrahams removed Hofmeyr from the AFU and transferred him to the legal affairs division, a move viewed as a demotion.
[17] In 2023, Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel appointed Hofmeyr to a one-year term as one of four members of the board at the National Lotteries Commission.