ANC protect compromised Mkhwebane in a revisit of Nkandla mistakes

25 October 2017

The ANC has once again chosen to use their numbers to protect the compromised Public Protector, Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane, at the expense of fulfilling their mandate and ultimately at the expense of all South Africans who deserve an effective and uncompromised person in the role.

The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services had previously voted to consider the matter of Mkhwebane’s removal, but backtracked spectacularly and have now voted today to not conduct an inquiry into her fitness to hold office at all.

The DA has long maintained that Mkhwebane is unsuitable for the role and with each passing day, it becomes more and more obvious that this is true.

Parliament has failed before to properly exercise its oversight role, in the Nkandla matter. This failure was confirmed by the Constitutional Court judgement which stated that the National Assembly in that matter “flouted its obligations”, and acted in a manner that was “inconsistent with the Constitution and unlawful”.

We should learn from these mistakes, but the ANC seems doomed to do the same again, in a true illustration of their inability to self-correct.

The DA condemns this behaviour by the ANC with the contempt it deserves and will now consider all avenues possible to ensure a full review of Mkhwebane’s fitness for office as the people’s Public Protector.

Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach, Shadow Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, 25 October 2017