President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied that the suspension of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was linked to her investigations into allegations of money laundering against him.
He says he had given Mkhwebane 10 days after he received a letter from parliament that investigations into her suitability to hold office were going ahead to explain why she should not be suspended.
Speaking to the media in parliament, the President it was only once she had given the reasons that he made his final decision.
He added that her suspension does not mean the investigation cannot continue.
Ramaphosa says, “Once the PP is suspended, the work of that office does not come to an end. The DPP would be able to take the work forward guided by the principles of prejudice, no favour and impartiality. So if those are the principles that guide anyone in that office, then we should not be concerned about who does the work.”
VIDEO: President Cyril Ramaphosa engages with the media at Imbizo Media Center:
Political parties
Meanwhile, Political parties have reacted to the suspension of the Public Protector by President Ramaphosa.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) says this indicates that Ramaphosa is now in panic mode. ATM has lodged a complaint against Ramaphosa with the Public Protector for allegedly breaching the executive code of ethics relating to the alleged theft of 4 million US dollars at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm.
The President has denied any wrongdoing. The Presidency said Mkhwebane would remain suspended until an impeachment process in Parliament has been completed. Impeachment hearings are due to get under next month.
ATM spokesperson Sibusiso Mncwabe believes Ramaphosa’s action reveals what the President is going through.
“It gives us a clear indication that the president of the country is panicking now, from what might be discovered by the public protector. Our leader Vuyo Zungula, wrote to the Public Protector, and we received her letter, that the matter is getting attention and being investigated. Now, we’re receiving the news that she has been suspended. To us, it says the president is panicking because there’s nothing so far that necessitates the president to suspend the Public Protector.”
Suspicious
Action SA leader Herman Mashaba says the timing of the suspension is suspicious.
“The timing of the suspension leaves a lot of suspicion and concern for us as South Africans because this matter of the public protector and the president is something that has been long outstanding. We just cannot understand why the president decides to actually act on the eve of his own investigation by the public protector. The president had the right and opportunity in the past to have acted.
OneSA Movement leader Mmusi Maimane believes that given the politics surrounding the Public Protector and the President, it would have been ideal for an independent voice to decide on the Public Protector’s suspension.
“Given that there’s an investigation into him at this point, given that there’s a history of litigation between the two, whether the president was the most suited to execute the decision to suspend because, at this point in time, it can only be read in political terms, as opposed to legal terms. So, my urgency would have been that an independent voice headed up by the judiciary should be able to decide on whether or not a suspension would be an appropriate action to take.”
The African Christian Democratic Party’s Kenneth Meshoe says Ramaphosa must answer a number of questions including whether tax was paid on the money that was allegedly being held at Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo.
