The independence of the National Department of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) will be argued at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday.

This after the former head of public prosecutions, Mxolisi Nxasana, accepted a golden handshake of R17.3-million from President Jacob Zuma and left office in 2015.

Before that, an inquiry into his fitness to hold office was abruptly halted, without any explanation.

In an exclusive interview with News24, Nxasana said he still believes his departure was linked to the corruption charges against the president, with some fearing that he would reinstate them.

An application was then launched by Corruption Watch, Freedom Under Law and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), which sought an order declaring the removal of Nxasana invalid, the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) said.

The organisations maintain that Nxasana had not requested to vacate his office as is required by the National Prosecuting Authority Act.

HSF, acting as a friend of the court, intends to make oral submissions regarding the structural and operational independence that is required of the office of the NDPP, it said.