Zuma withdrawal catches Public Protector's office by surprise
Cape Town - The Public Protector's office appeared to have been caught by surprise by President Jacob Zuma's withdrawal of a court application for an interdict against the immediate release of the so-called ''state capture'' report on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said he had just seen the latest developments and would have to first consult with the new Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane before responding.
Mkhwebane's first weeks on the job after taking over from her predecessor Thuli Madonsela on October 17 have been overshadowed by Zuma's application to stop the release of the report on the grounds that he was not given a chance to respond properly before it was made public.
However, Madonsela had said Zuma had been given copies of information passed on to her, and had been given a chance to respond.
The instruction by Zuma to withdraw the application was conveyed in the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.