ANCWL STATEMENT ON THE SMEAR CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE PUBLIC PROTECTOR
The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has noted with regrets the smear campaigns against the Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Since her office released the CIEX report, Adv Mkhwebane has endured enormous attacks from those who are implicated, their proxies, defenders and beneficiaries of the CIEX loot. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) instead of focusing on complying with the remedial actions of the report and supervise the bank sector that is untransformed and some of the banks exposed by Competition Commission for manipulating the South African currency, it has joined the smear campaign to discredit the Public Protector. In attempts to divert attention from the CIEX report, the SARB is now accusing Advocate Mkhwebane of colluding with the Presidency and the State Security Agency.
It is worth noting that the CIEX report which was released by Adv Mkhwebane indicated that the government and the SARB improperly failed to recover R3.2-billion from Absa as a result of an illegal gift given to Absa between 1986 and 1995. ANCWL demands that SARB complies with the remedial actions of the CIEX report and stop the populist demagoguery stances of playing to the gallery casting aspersions against the Public Protector.
The ANCWL joins the progressive calls for the consideration of the ownership and mandate of SARB. South Africans must openly discuss the pros and cons of nationalisation of the SARB, and for it to become a public service rather than a profit-making company that defends benefits of individuals at the expense of the public.
The ANCWL calls all its supporters, members and society in general to defend the Office of the Public Protector against any forms of smear campaigns. The Public Protector must continue exercising her powers and performing her duties without fear, favour or prejudice. She must remain independent and impartial.
Statement issued by Meokgo Matuba, ANCWL Secretary General, 17 September 2017
