I agree with new Public Protector - Madonsela

26 October 2016

Johannesburg - Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela agrees with her successor’s decision not to oppose President Jacob Zuma's application for an interdict against the release of the “state capture” report.

"I’m not surprised. I probably would have made the same decision if I was the new PP," she said at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ awards on Tuesday night.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who took office on Monday, October 17, had a right to make her own decisions, Madonsela said.

She added that Mkhwebane had not had the opportunity to meet with her and get a sense of what was her thinking was.

Madonsela said her last scheduled meeting and debriefing with Mkhwebane had been postponed due to conflicting schedules. She only met her briefly the previous Friday.

"We were supposed to have some extended meetings with the PP. Unfortunately, we only had one day which was Friday, and on that Friday I was a bit late. I slept in the office and I went to change. When I came back she was busy with staff and she came much later to meet me and that made our time very little."

Madonsela said they agreed on a follow-up meeting for the Monday, which was postponed.

She sent a reminder to the chief of staff and chief operating officer that she was available to meet Mkhwebane.

"I do think a verbal engagement is important beyond just the paperwork that has been given to her. It’s important to know where I was and why I was taking the direction I was taking, particularly in relation to cases."

In the court papers filed on Friday, October 14, Mkhwebane said she was not in a position to advocate that Madonsela’s “state capture” report be released. Nor would she ask that Zuma get additional time to submit representations.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.