Unfit Public Protector Mkhwebane’s removal a victory for Parliament and accountability
11 September 2023
The DA was today vindicated in its opposition to the appointment of Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane whose removal was voted for by the National Assembly with 318 members voting yes, 43 voting no and 1 abstiaing, achieving the necessary two-thirds threshold to remove a Chapter 9 Head.
In 2016, the DA was the only party to oppose this appointment. For the last seven years, we held firm in our conviction that she is not a suitable individual to occupy the office of Public Protector.
In 2020, after a number of scandals, the DA successfully initiated a Parliamentary inquiry into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office. A panel chaired by a retired judge found prima facie evidence that Mkhwebane was unfit to serve. This effort by the DA then gave ground for the Section 194 Impeachment Inquiry in 2021, whose Report was put before the National Assembly this afternoon for a vote.
While Mkhwebane has employed all sorts of Stalingrad tactics, costing the taxpayer more than R160 million as she disgracefully hung on, Parliament finally rectified this today.