Public Protector institutes legal action against DA over spy allegations
The Public Protector is set to challenge the Democratic Alliance (DA) for labelling her a spy.
Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane will challenge the allegations in court.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach accused Mkhwebane of being an agent of the State Security Agency.
Before Mkhwebane's appointment, DA MP Werner Horn made similar claims at a press conference on 7 September 2016.
The #PublicProtector has decided to institute legal action against the DA following “false and defamatory remarks” made at a press briefing.
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) October 27, 2017
Mkhwebane's spokesperson, Cleopatra Mosana says: "Prior to the appointment of the Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane the DA, through Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach and Mr Werner Horn, made false and defamatory remarks at the press conference on 7 September 2016, alleging that Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane, is a spy and that she was on the payroll of the State Security Agency when she was employed by the Department of Home Affairs as a Counsellor Immigration and Civic Services in China."
Mosana says the Public Protector has decided to institute legal action, seeking to have them "retract their false and defamatory statement and issue an apology to be published in the same platforms that publicised their claims."
"The Public Protector reserves her right to claim for damages suffered as a result of these false and defamatory statements," Mosana adds.