Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s lawyer, Dali Mpofu, says his mandate to represent her has now ended. This is because the Office of the Public Protector has indicated that they will no longer fund her legal representation at the parliamentary impeachment hearing after Friday.
Mpofu says the decision to withdraw funding is part of a campaign to victimise Mkhwebane. He has indicated that as a result of him no longer representing Mkhwebane, he has taken other work and will be involved in the Thabo Bester case.
“She’s not been able to give us further instructions to continue beyond this point therefore our instructions are terminated… once she indicated that to us of course unless you wanted our children to have no bread on the table.”
The suspended Public Protector was giving evidence at the Section 194 Committee probing her fitness to hold office.
Mkhwebane’s testimony this week centred around some of the reports that were set aside by the courts. These include President Ramaposa’s CR17 presidential campaign report as well as the controversial SARS report.
She took a swipe at some of the judges for their comments against her in their judgments.
Adv Busisiwe MKhwebane says, “It’s very painful for me to be subjected to this and everyone just ganging up.”
Mkhwebane has also accused some judges of failing to apply their minds when reviewing her reports and treating those who appear before them differently based on their race.
“I acknowledge that I operate in a political space, I acknowledge that I’m a black person. I acknowledge that anything that I do, I do it intentionally to make sure we don’t repeat the atrocities of apartheid. so now, if we pick up a lot of this on Sunday Times perpetuating the very same divisive ways, when it’s a white person or when it’s another race then we are treated differently.”
She also cautioned against the issuing of personal cost orders, saying that impacts investigators in the Office of the Public Protector.
“We also subject judges to the same process I don’t know whether they would like that it’s done to them because it’s not right for any member of the public the nurse, police and everyone else, who works as a public servant, you must pay from your pocket.
The inquiry continues.
