GCIS
A Parliamentary Committee that probed the fitness of Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold the office of Public Protector, has called for her removal based on “conclusive evidence” of incompetence as well as misconduct.
The Committee for Section 194 Enquiry adopted the draft report on Friday giving Mkhwebane a final opportunity to respond in writing to the draft report by 21 August.
Committee chairperson, Qubudile Dyanti, said the “committee will thereafter adopt a final report for tabling in the NA (National Assembly).
In a statement, Dyantyi said at the start of the meeting that they had received correspondence that Mkhwebane’s most recent attorneys, Chaane Attorneys, had withdrawn as her attorneys of record without having briefed her senior counsel since their appointment.
“This is Advocate Mkhwebane’s second attorney of record to withdraw,” he said.
He said the Committee would not entertain a request from another advocate for him to reconsider Mkhewbane’s application for him to recuse himself.
“A majority of members who participated in the meeting were in favour of removing Advocate Mkhwebane, and stated that the decision was based on the overwhelming and conclusive evidence placed before it,” Dyantyi said.
The EFF and Al Jama’ah party voted against the recommendation of removal.
The Committee was established on 16 March 2021 to conduct a constitutional enquiry into the Public Protector’s fitness to hold office.
