Calls intensify for Mkhwebane to vacate her office
Calls for Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to vacate her office have intensified following a scathing judgment by the Constitutional Court.
The highest court in the land upheld the high court in Pretoria’s personal costs order against Mkhwebane on Monday .
Mkhwebane appealed the high court’s decision after it found that she was biased in her Bankorp findings and should personally pay some of the costs.
She is thus compelled to personally pay 15% of the central bank’s legal costs.
ALSO READ: ConCourt dismisses Mkhwebane appeal, says she ‘put forward a number of falsehoods’
Handing down her judgement, Justice Virginia Khampempe found that Mkhwebane was not honest about some of the engagements during her investigation.
Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip John Steenhuisen believes Mkhwebane is unfit to hold office.
"It is going to have deep implications for Mkhwebane's continuance in the Office of the Public Protector.
"We believe that Parliament now has a duty - in light of this judgement - to expedite our request to have an inquiry in the fitness of Mrs Mkhwebane to continue as public protector."
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Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) has echoed the DA’s call, saying the judgment is an indictment of Mkhwebane's conduct during the investigation.
ALSO READ: ‘I have never told falsehoods under oath’, says Mkhwebane
"I think given the judgment, I think the only reasonable course of action open to Advocate Mkhwebane is to tender her resignation. She's clearly not fit to hold office," says Casac’sLawson Naidoo.
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The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse's (Outa) Stefanie Fick says while it is important to respect the office of the public protector, Mkhwebane might not understand her role.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa: Mkhwebane gave no due consideration to my answers
"The Constitutional Court clearly stated that she acted in bad faith and that she was dishonest and this raises serious concern about her competence to deal with serious investigations.
"We must remember that all these cases are high profile investigations. What happens in the case of the ordinary people if the way she conducts these investigations just got her a 15% cost order?"
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