EFF statement on Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Commission of Inquiry into State Capture 

11 January 2017

The EFF calls on Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to learn to keep quiet; for at times, silence is golden. Each time she speaks, and because it is not even necessary for her to do so at all times, she continues to tarnish the reputation of the respectable office of the Public Protector. 

We say this in relation to her recent comments that the remit of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture can be extended beyond what is directed by the remedial action of the Public Protector’s State of Capture Report. In so saying, Mkhwebane seeks to give credence to Zuma’s ill-intention to overburden the scope of the inquiry so that it never really arrives at holding him accountable for his corruption with the Gupta family. By now it should be obvious that to amend the remedial action of the Public Protector, one must do so through courts and within a given period of time. 

Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s ignorance of the law has long caused us to question her constitutional literacy and judgement. She is not only dangerous to the reputation and public standing of the important office of the Public Protector. She also risks undermining the very constitutional work it has to combat state corruption. 

We reiterate that she must learn to keep quiet, do her work and mind her own business; for at times, silence is golden. 

Issued by Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi, National Spokesperson, 11 January 2018