Shamila Batohi – Biography: Husband, Religion, Salary, Family

Advocate Shamila Batohi is a trailblazing South African prosecutor who, in February 2019, became the first woman to serve as National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP). Son of Durban’s Indian-South African community, she rose from junior prosecutor in Chatsworth to international advisor at the International Criminal Court, before returning home to lead the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). While her remuneration, religion and husband remain largely private, she is widely recognised for her integrity, leadership and contribution to justice.

Early Life and Background

Advocate Shamila Batohi was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, around 1960/61 (estimates vary) and grew up in the suburb of Clare Estate, which is part of Durban’s historically Indian community.
Raised under apartheid-era conditions, her early life was shaped by the challenges of racial segregation and community activism. A strong sense of justice, fairness and public service appears to have been instilled from a young age.
She matriculated from Burnwood Secondary School in Durban, and went on to study at the University of Durban-Westville (for her BA) and the University of Natal (for her LLB) in Durban.

Education and Formative Years

Batohi’s educational journey reflects her early ambition. After completing her BA at the University of Durban-Westville, she obtained her LLB from the University of Natal.

In 1986 she began her legal career as a junior prosecutor at the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court in Durban—giving her hands-on experience in criminal justice shortly before South Africa’s major democratic transition.

Rise Through the Legal Ranks

Batohi advanced steadily:

• By 2000 she was Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in KwaZulu-Natal, and that same year she earned public attention while cross-examining the former cricket captain Hansie Cronje in the high-profile match-fixing inquiry.
• She also served as the first regional head of the Directorate of Special Operations (commonly known as “The Scorpions”) in KwaZulu-Natal.
• In 1995 she had been seconded to the Investigation Task Unit established under President Nelson Mandela to investigate apartheid-era “hit-squad” policing violence in KwaZulu-Natal.

Global Legal Experience: The Hague

In 2009, Batohi moved to international work, becoming a Senior Legal Adviser to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. She served there for nearly a decade (2009-2018) advising on, among other issues, sexual and gender-based violence in war crimes and international criminal justice.
This phase broadened her experience from national prosecution to global justice, equipping her with a comparative view and a set of skills that would later serve her in leading South Africa’s prosecutorial authority.

Appointment as National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP)

On 1 February 2019, Batohi officially took office as the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa. She was the first woman to hold this position.
Her appointment came after considerable public expectation, given the NPA’s challenges with institutional credibility, high-level corruption cases and a legacy of state-capture investigations.
Within her first address she emphasized themes of prosecutorial independence, professionalism, accountability and restoring public trust.

Major Achievements and Professional Legacy

Batohi’s tenure as NDPP has been marked by several noteworthy dimensions:

• She undertook the task of rebuilding the credibility of the NPA after years of institutional erosion under the state-capture era.
• Under her leadership, the NPA has started to re-prioritise historic apartheid-era crimes and corruption investigations.
• Her background in both national and international law gives her a distinctive outlook: she understands detailed case work as well as institutional strategy.
• While her term is ongoing, she is often cited as a role-model, particularly for women in law, and for South African legal professionals aspiring to high office.
  At the same time, she has acknowledged the scale of the challenge: backlogs, resource constraints and the need for improved prosecutorial capacity remain central.

Personal Life, Family and Husband

Despite her prominent public role, Batohi maintains a strong measure of privacy regarding her personal life. However, some information is publicly available:

• She is mother to two adult sons, named Nikhil and Shaunik.
• Reports indicate her husband was the late Dr Raj Somaru, a respected medical practitioner.
• Her religion is not publicly disclosed; she appears to keep her personal beliefs private. Some biographical sources state the religion is “not publicly disclosed.”
• Her family life emphasizes that she juggled demanding professional commitments with motherhood and personal responsibilities—underscoring the human dimension behind her public persona.

Reported Salary and Financial Profile

While precise disclosure of her salary is not officially published in detailed form, media and biographical reports suggest the monthly compensation for the NDPP role is in the region of R200,000 to R240,000 per month (South African Rand) depending on allowances and seniority.
For example, one source reports approximately R240,000 per month.
Given her career path (spanning decades of public service at senior levels), and her role rather than private business interests, the emphasis is less on a high-net-worth profile than on a public-service career with responsibility and prestige.

Religion, Beliefs and Values

Batohi has not publicly embraced a specific religious label in widely reported sources. Biographical entries frequently note the religion as “not publicly disclosed.”
However, her public statements and career ethos reflect certain consistent values:

• Commitment to justice and the rule of law (both domestic and international)
• Emphasis on fairness, equality and professionalism (e.g., her comments on gender mainstreaming in prosecution services)
• A strong sense of service, rooted in her upbringing and early career in the Durban region under apartheid.
  Thus, while we may not assign a religious affiliation, it is clear her professional life has been shaped by moral convictions and a commitment to public interest.

Challenges, Criticisms and Institutional Context

Any major public figure—and especially someone leading a national prosecutorial agency in a country working through complex legacies—faces significant scrutiny. In Batohi’s case:

• The NPA inherited deep institutional fractures: under-resourcing, political interference, and backlogs of cases from the state-capture era. She has publicly acknowledged these realities.
• The pace of high-profile prosecutions has drawn some criticism, with analysts noting that although structures are improving, major cases are still slow and complex.
• As the first woman to hold the NDPP office, she’s often under heightened scrutiny and expectation in a context where structural change is difficult and incremental.

Yet many commentators consider her appointment itself symbolic of transformation—bringing new leadership, different credentials (international law experience) and renewed institutional credibility.

Legacy and Impact

Batohi’s legacy is still in formation—as she continues in office—but some durable landmarks already stand out:

• Breaking a gender barrier by becoming South Africa’s first female NDPP.
• Bringing an international dimension to the domestic prosecution service, adding global justice insights into local systems.
• Emphasising institutional reform: independence, professionalism and accountability in prosecution. < “We are the lawyers for the people and the people need to trust us.” >
• Offering inspiration to future legal practitioners, especially women and persons from historically marginalised communities in South Africa.
• While the full impact (in terms of convictions, institutional transformation etc.) will be judged over the long run, her leadership represents a meaningful step toward strengthening the prosecutorial arm of justice in South Africa.

Summary Table

Attribute	Details
Name	Advocate Shamila Batohi
Date & Place of Birth	c.1960/61, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Education	BA (University of Durban-Westville); LLB (University of Natal)
Career Highlights	Junior prosecutor 1986; DPP KwaZulu-Natal 2000-09; ICC adviser 2009-18; NDPP 2019-present
Husband	Late Dr Raj Somaru
Children	Two sons – Nikhil & Shaunik
Religion	Not publicly disclosed
Salary (reported)	~R200,000-R240,000/month for NDPP role
Firsts	First woman to serve as NDPP in South Africa

Final Reflections

Advocate Shamila Batohi’s story is one of persistent ascent: from a young prosecutor in Durban, navigating a justice system still emerging from apartheid’s legacy, to an internationally-experienced legal adviser, and finally to the helm of South Africa’s national prosecuting authority. Her personal background—Indian-South African, Durban-raised, woman in a male-dominated profession—makes her achievements all the more noteworthy in the context of South Africa’s transformation.
While some aspects of her personal life (such as religion and full financial disclosures) remain private, the public profile she presents is firmly aligned with values of public service, integrity and institutional renewal.
Her tenure as NDPP comes at a critical moment for South Africa: wrestling with historic injustices, deep-seated corruption, and the need to restore public confidence in the rule of law. In that sense, Batohi’s role is more than an office—it is part of a moral and democratic project.
It remains to be seen how the long-term impact of her leadership will be judged—by case outcomes, institutional reform, and the extent to which the NPA becomes a trustworthy pillar of justice. But already, her appointment and steady performance have moved conversations forward.
For all who seek a role model in law, public service or leadership under challenging circumstances, Shamila Batohi offers a compelling example: someone who embraced responsibility, earned expertise, and now carries symbolic as well as real weight.