The Independent Panel to assess whether there are valid grounds to remove Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane from office has handed its report to National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise.
The panel was appointed following a motion by DA Chief Whip, Natasha Mazzone, for Mkhwebane’s removal.
It was made up of Justice, Bess Nkabinde, as chairperson and advocates Johan De Waal and Dumisa Ntsebeza.
The panel was appointed after the Public Protector suffered a series of negative findings against her by the courts. These include a Constitutional Court finding that she had lied under oath.
The panel had been scheduled to report after a month after its appointment but was given an extension of two months.
In a statement, the speaker’s office has indicated the report will be made public next week.
Meanwhile, Mkhwebane has won the first round of the tussle in which she demands a public apology from the official opposition.
She has accused the DA of publishing false and defamatory statements about her.
This comes after DA parliamentarians claimed that Mkhwebane was a spy whose appointment as Public Protector was aimed at perpetuating State Capture.
The DA has escalated the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in which it seeks to compel Mkhwebane to reveal certain records.
This after a High Court ruling dismissed the party’s application to compel Mkhwebane to produce the requested documents.
In the video below, Mkhwebane accuses the DA of publishing false and defamatory statements about her:
