DA requests clarity on Madonsela’s Gupta state capture probe

7 October 2016

The DA will request the Public Protector, Adv Thuli Madonsela, to provide clarity on whether she intends to complete the current investigation she launched earlier into the alleged state capture by the Gupta family by the time her term ends on 15 October 2016. 

A press statement released by Madonsela’s office yesterday stated that she met with President Jacob Zuma yesterday as part of her state capture investigation. The statement said that “[f]or the greater part of the four-hour meeting, the President’s legal representative argued that the investigation be deferred to the incoming Public Protector, who he advised had been announced today, on the grounds that there wasn’t enough time to conclude the matter properly and that there was no reason for the investigation to be prioritised.” 

While the incoming Public Protector, Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has stated that she will continue with the probe without compromising other investigations, clarity is needed as to how the hand-over will commence, if indeed the investigation is not completed by the time Madonsela’s tenure comes to an end. 

The reality is that the state capture probe speaks to the independence of the State and its ability to do its work in the interests of the people without undue influence. If the state is captured, then it is the poor who will suffer the most.

It is therefore of utmost importance that President Zuma provide all information and documentation as requested by the Public Protector. He must furthermore not be allowed to dictate the terms of the investigation. If Madonsela is not able to complete the investigation before 15 October, we will look to Mkhwebane to carry on Madonsela’s legacy of being an uncompromised, impartial and steadfast Public Protector. 

Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach, DA Shadow Minister of Justice, 7 October 2016