The High Court in Bhisho, in the Eastern Cape, is expected to hear the matter involving Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Public Works MEC Babalo Madikizela, in which they are interdicting the Hawks from investigating them.
This follows a report which Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane released. The report implicates Mabuyane and Madikizela in unduly benefiting from funds meant for struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s memorial service in April 2018.
Mabuyane argues that he has no case to answer, as there are no specific charges against him.
He is also questioning why he’s being subjected to questioning by Hawks officials from the Free State.
Mabuyane denies benefitting from funds
Mabuyane has accused the Public Protector of not following proper procedures in tabling her report.
This after saying he would take Mkhwebane’s report on review both on substantive and technical grounds.
He added that there are generally issues about how Mkhwebane behaves and conducts herself.
Mabuyane says Mkhwebane ignored every fact that was presented to her when she arrived to the conclusion that is in the report.
Video | Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane to challenge Mkhwebane’s report
Calls for Mabuyane to step down
Since the release of the report, several political parties have called for Mabuyane to step down.
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) says Mabuyane step down from office while in the process of clearing his name.
The PAC’s Western Cape Regional Chairperson, Siyabulela Ndamane, says Mabuyane’s name keeps cropping up whenever there is a corruption scandal in the Eastern Cape.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Eastern Cape has since opened a case against Mabuyane, Madikizela as well as the Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana Gxothiwe at the Bhisho Police station.
However, Mabuyane says he is not surprised that there are calls for him to step down by opposition parties.
“There is an obsession generally about me. We know their attitude. The province is relatively stable. They are doing every trick in the book to destabilise us. They are actually opportunists that we all know. They are using this simply because it is their electioneering strategy. It is not a new thing, it is not surprising. It has been a concerted effort to discredit me, to rubbish me, to recreate me to be something that I am not. I am not going to be that thing at any time. I am consistent, I am focussed, I am doing my work, I am leading the province, I am leading the government,” says Mabuyane.
In the video below, political parties call for Oscar Mabuyane’s removal:
-Additional reporting by SABC News
