Busisiwe Mkhwebane OUTA

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Photo: Twitter/@Gentlements

‘Long overdue’: OUTA on Mkhwebane’s possible impeachment

OUTA says every day Mkhwebane remains in her role is a day lost to meaningful protection of the public from abuse of power.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane OUTA

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Photo: Twitter/@Gentlements

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has questioned why the possible suspension of Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane has taken this long. 

On Thursday, Mkhwebane said she learnt via the news outlets that Parliamentary Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula wrote to Ramaphosa, informing him about the process to impeach her. 

OUTA WEIGHS IN ON MKHWEBANE’S IMPEACHMENT

Mkhwebane and Ramaphosa have been at loggerheads for quite some time, in respect of their previous legal battles. The bid to suspend Mkhwebane stems from the impeachment process she faces.

OUTA executive director Advocate Stefanie Fick said this is almost a case of too little too late as Mkhwebane’s term expires in October 2023. 

Fick said in the face of all her blunders and the court judgments against her, the Public Protector should have done the honourable thing and stepped down, but has not. 

“Parliament should move faster to have her removed. Every day Advocate Mkhwebane remains in her current role is a day lost to meaningful protection of the public from the abuse of power in South Africa.

“Less than a year after her appointment she released her report on the Reserve Bank’s apartheid-era bailout of Bankorp, ordering Absa bank to pay back the R1.125bn bailout and the Reserve Bank to change its mandate. In February 2018 the court overturned this report, which became one of a number of judgments against her.”

Stefanie Fick

Mkhwebane will now be weighing her legal options in response to the pending suspension by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mkhwebane further implied that the move by Ramaphosa to even opt to suspend her may have been a hasty one and intends asking him for a copy of the letter.

“Although the president’s letter makes reference to the correspondence from the speaker and purports to attach it, no such letter was actually attached, suggesting a rushed process. The public protector will on Friday request a copy of the letter in question from the president,”

“Contrary to the prevailing narrative, all she has ever asked for is a fair section 194 process. To that end, she will be consulting with her legal team first thing tomorrow morning (Friday 18 March 2022) to map the way forward. In the meantime, no further public statements will be made on this matter given its obviously legal nature.”

Office of the Public Protector

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