Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip in Parliament, John Steenhuisen, says their request to have Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane removed from office should be the first item on the agenda of the Justice Committee; once constituted. Steenhuisen has released a statement welcoming the fact that National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise had referred their request for Mkhwebane’s removal to the committee.
Madam Speaker has written formally to me to inform me that she has referred my request for an inquiry into the fitness of the Public Protector to hold office to the portfolio committee. Let’s see what happens next…. pic.twitter.com/84oBkJ1dWO
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) June 14, 2019
The DA has called for the removal of the Public Protector once before. In the fifth Parliament, the DA called for the removal of Mkhwebane after the North Gauteng High court declared her Vrede Dairy farm report unconstitutional and invalid. She had also overstepped her authority when finding that the Reserve Bank mandate should be revised.
At the time, Steenhuisen argued that this shows that Mkhwebane was incompetent and did not understand the role of her office.
In her response to the Justice Committee of Parliament, Mkhwebane had stated that none of the DA’s complaints can justify her removal.
Steenhuisen says their latest complaint to the Speaker has also included new information currently in the public domain; such as a press release by the Public Servants Association, alleging that Mkhwebane’s office was making use of the State Security Agency to victimize and harass PSA shop stewards.
