Inquiry into Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office enters fourth week

Parliament’s Section 194 Committee investigating suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebabe’s fitness to hold office is entering its fourth week on Monday.

Four witnesses have already testified so far.

The reinstated Head of the Free State Provincial office of the Public Protector, Sphelo Samuel, testified from Wednesday until Friday afternoon last week.

This was followed by expert witness, Hassan Ebrahim, who returned for cross-examination by Mkhwebane’s legal representative, Dali Mpofu, on Friday afternoon.

It has been circulating on social media through the African Transformation Movement (ATM) over the weekend that the party has it on good authority that Samuel will be back today for more cross-examination by Mpofu.

However, the Section 194 Committee has not yet responded to a SABC News request for confirmation on who will take the stand; and whether Samuel will return for further cross-examination.

Mkhwebane accused of shielding politicians

During his testimony last week, 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.

Meanwhile, Mpofu has since said Mkhwebane’s suspension is unconstitutional because it happened before the process to remove her started in Parliament.

Mpofu has sought to convince the court that because the current Section 194 committee is not a removal committee as contemplated in the Constitution, its existence cannot be used to trigger her suspension by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

More details in the report below: