Another senior manager from the Public Protector’s office to testify in Section 194 Inquiry

Another senior manager from the office of the Public Protector, Futana Tebele, is expected to take the stand on Wednesday during the inquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.

Tebele will be the fourth witness who has worked in Mkhwebane’s Office to testify.

Former CEO in the Office of the Public Protector Vussy Mahlangu ended his testimony on Tuesday night.

He told the Section 194 Committee that Mkhwebane is not incompetent.

Mahlangu was responding to United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa who posed the question on the current Public Protector’s competence during the question session between committee members and Mahlangu.

“Mr Mahlangu, the charges levelled against the Public Protector were that she is incompetent: as a person who worked closely with her office, would you agree with those who accuse her of being incompetent?” Holomisa enquired of the former CEO.

The former CEO , who describes Mkhwebane as a hard worker, responded to Holomisa by saying, “I will say straight, it’s no. Me in my administrative duties I would lead investigations, I got guidance, I learnt a lot from the PP. She is a very hard worker. I don’t even know that she sleeps. Work-work-work. I think she is a hard worker.”

VIDEO: Former CEO in the PP’s Office testifies:

Subpoena

During his testimony last week, the reinstated Head of the Free State Provincial office of the Public Protector, Sphelo Samuel, said Mkhwebane refused to issue a subpoena to politicians who were not cooperating in the Vrede Dairy project investigation.

Former Premier Ace Magashule and former Agriculture MEC Mosebenzi Zwane are the two politicians who were also at the center of irregularities in the project.

Samuel claims that Mkhwebane had instructed that no adverse findings should be made against politicians.

He says he subsequently made adverse findings in his draft report against the two politicians.