Charles Molele
Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane has given under-fire public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane 48 hours to release her report into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s alleged R500 000 ‘bribe’ by Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson.
Maimane said its immediate release “will leave no room for further leaks and speculation, and allow the public and Parliament to hold the president to account for his actions.”
“It is high time that presidents and their families’ who mislead Parliament are treated as equal before and held to account to the fullest might of the law,” the DA leader said in a statement Monday.
Maimane added that “the nature and extent of the relationship between the Ramaphosa’s and Bosasa run much deeper than initially thought.”
The South African Communist Party (SACP) said Monday meanwhile, that parliament should hold an inquiry into whether Mkhwebane was fit for office because of the scathing court judgments against her.
Mkhwebane has been under attack from various political commentators, political formations and civil society organizations since announcing that public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan had been implicated in her investigations into a spy unit at the SA Revenue Services (SARS).
She has also been criticized for announcing her investigation into Ramaphosa’s R500 000 donation from Bosasa’s Watson.
But Mkhwebane remains unmoved, saying she will not be swayed from her commitment to fighting corruption as public enemy number one in South Africa. “In the twelve months leading up to March 31, 2019, I had investigated 14,000 cases. Only two related to Minister Gordhan while one concerned the president. There has been only one report against Minister Gordhan and none against the president in the 102 I have issued thus far.
She described as ridiculous claims that she is targeting Gordhan and Ramaphosa.
As for calls for her to step down, Mkhwebane said she is serving under a divine decree. “I know some of you may not be Christian, but I strongly believe I was placed in this position by the God that I serve and I believe that only He can remove me if He is of the view that I have failed.”
