Freedom Under Law expresses grave concern about the murder of Regional Court prosecutor Tracy Brown, who was brazenly killed outside her home in Gqeberha on 31 July 2025 in front of her child and partner. This follows the killing of another prosecutor in the Eastern Cape, Elona Sombulula, in Ngcobo in April 2025.
Whilst no motive has been officially identified, these killings are a direct threat to the rule of law. For the justice system to function effectively, prosecutors , lawyers and all officers of the court must be able to do their work without fearing for their lives.
We recall, to name only some recent examples, the killings of BOSASA liquidators Thomas and Cloete Murray, Anti-Gang Unit police officer Charl Kinnear, Gauteng Department of Health whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, and forensic investigator Zenzele Sithole, as well as the attempted assassination of advocate, Coreth Naude. Sadly, these form part of a long line of killings of individuals who worked to fight crime and also corruption. Apart from causing unspeakable pain to the families of the victims, the killings raise fundamental concerns that those who work to hold criminals to account are themselves at risk of assassination. They point to murder being used as a tool to delay, distort, and pervert the course of the law. This situation is untenable.
These murders also take place against the backdrop of recent serious allegations about organised crime infiltrating the highest levels of government, leading to the suspension of the Minister of Police and the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The use of violence to manipulate the legal process and intimidate legal practitioners and others working to fight crime cannot be tolerated if we seek to build a prosperous society. The impunity with which these acts are committed invites deeply concerning questions about the state of our society, and our ability to uphold the very fabric of our constitutional democracy.
Such criminality cannot be met with mere words of censure from those in authority and FUL joins others across society, including the Law Society of South Africa, who have called on law enforcement agencies to ensure that those responsible for the killing are speedily brought to justice.
ENDS