Shamila Batohi served as the National Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa from February 2019 until January 2026. Her term was historic because she was the first woman to hold this position. She brought to the role decades of prosecutorial experience at home and international experience as a senior legal adviser at the International Criminal Court.  Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is in conversation with Senior Researcher at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape, Dr Jean Redpath.