Parliament has resolved to go ahead with its inquiry into Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane‘s fitness to hold office.
This is despite Mkhwebane’s application to the Constitutional Court to reconsider its earlier decision which paved the way for Parliament to resume its inquiry.
Parliament’s legal advisor Siviwe Njikela briefed the Committee on the Section 194 Enquiry.
“From our reading of the correspondence that we have obtained, the Public Protector seems to be saying after today’s meeting, depending on what the committee decides to do, they may file an urgent application to interdict the inquiry that the committee intends to proceed with.
And we have no difficulties with that. We recognised the right that the Public Protector to exhaust whatever legal avenue is available but we have not received that application. We are hoping that in the next couple of days or hours that application would come. So as I am speaking to you chairperson, all we have in front of us is the application for rescission of the decision of the Constitutional Court. There is no interdict or application for an interdict.”
Parliament committee continuing with processes against Mkhwebane:
However, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and African Transformation Movement (ATM) have expressed their opposition to the Parliamentary Committee’s decision to continue with its inquiry.
EFF leader Julius Malema and ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula asked the committee to wait for the outcome of Mkhwebane’s ConCourt application before resuming its investigation.
Malema supported by Zungula had this to say, “I think that if we want this process to be a respectable process and that we are not projected as persuading a certain agenda except to arrive at what it is really an objective of this committee. Surely the most acceptable thing to do will be to give the Constitutional Court a chance to proceed with the hope that the Constitutional Court will resolve this matter quickly. And once that is done, we can proceed. We are really not in a hurry to arrive at achieving justice. “
