Parliament To Probe Mkhwebane's Fitness For Office

Public Protector's work, especially on the Absa lifeboat, is up for scrutiny.
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane listens during a briefing at Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa October 19, 2016. Picture taken October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane listens during a briefing at Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa October 19, 2016. Picture taken October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
Mike Hutchings / Reuters

Parliament is planning to hold an inquiry into Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office, TimesLive reported on Wednesday. This followed a vote on the issue by MPs in Parliament on Tuesday.

The DA had reportedly requested the speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete to look into Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office.

The matter was then reportedly referred to the justice portfolio committee.

Justice committee chairperson and ANC MP Mathole Motshekga reportedly said he would recuse himself from the process after initially requesting that an ad hoc committee be established to look into the matter.

Mkhwebane has made a number of controversial decisions, most notably her report into the Absa lifeboat saga, which saw her having to retract recommendations that the mandate of the South African Reserve Bank be reviewed.

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba filed a scathing affidavit in court, in which he reportedly said Mkhwebane's reported was "manifestly lacking in logic", Business Day reported.

Gigaba reportedly said that Mkhwebane had reached conclusions without considering the documents before her, and failed to ask for information from the parties concerned.

Polity.org.za reported that Mkhwebane's findings on the Bapo ba Mogale community trust dispute were also being challenged.

The DA's Glynnis Breytenbach reportedly said this was why the DA had called for an investigation into Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office.

City Press reported that five out of six ANC MPs on the justice portfolio committee objected to the issue being discussed at the committee's meeting on Tuesday, saying the issue was being raised with short notice.

ANC MPs reportedly praised Mkhwebane's work last week.

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