DA welcomes Parliament’s decision to review Public Protector report

The DA welcomes Parliament’s decision to take on review the Ciex report released by the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, on Monday.

The ‘remedial actions’ listed by Mkhwebane, which included amending parts of the Constitution in respect of the mandate of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), constitute a significant overreach of the Public Protector's Constitutional mandate - only the National Assembly has the power to make changes to the Constitution.

The Public Protector’s remedial action has had a negative effect on the value of our currency and ratings agencies have expressed their deep concern over the proposed erosion of the independence of the SARB.

The DA has repeatedly expressed concern over Mkhwebane’s suitability for the position and her actions increasingly show that our concern was correct.

We thus support this vital step taken by Parliament and will continue to investigate avenues to ensure that the Public Protector fulfils her mandate and does not overreach to the detriment of South Africa.

Statement issued by Glynnis Breytenbach MP, DA Shadow Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, 23 June 2017