President Jacob Zuma has appointed Advocate Busisiwe Joyce Mkhwebane as the new Public Protector for a seven year term, the presidency said on Thursday.
Mkhwebane will take office on October 15, taking over from Thuli Madonsela.
Her nomination by an ad hoc parliamentary committee was endorsed by the National Assembly a month ago, with the support of most opposition parties but with the notable exception of the Democratic Alliance.
The DA has said that Mkhwebaneâs stint as an immigration officer in China for the department of home affairs suggested she was a spy and this made her unsuitable to head a chapter 9 institution that needed to be independent.
Mkhwebane, an advocate with 20 years of experience in law, rubbished the partyâs allegation that she was on the payroll of the State Security Agency.
The presidency said Zuma wished to thank Madonsela for her services and wished Mkhwebane well in the post.
Madonsela is racing against time to complete an investigation into allegations of state capture by the wealthy Gupta family and was expected to interview Zuma this week as part of the probe.
â African News Agency (ANA)