PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa gave Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane 10 days to provide reasons why he shouldn’t suspend her, bringing to a head a four-year battle with the ombudsman.
The request comes after a parliamentary committee this week said it will proceed with a motion to impeach Mkhwebane on grounds of misconduct, incapacity and misconduct.
Presidency on Friday said this followed confirmation from the Speaker of the National Assembly that the Section 194 Committee had resolve
“It would therefore now be appropriate to consider whether or not you ought to be suspended pending finalization of the committee’s work,” Ramaphosa said in a March 17 letter to Mkhwebane.
Mkhwebane is consulting her legal advisers on the matter, she said in a statement.
Section 194(3)(a) of the Constitution states that the President may “suspend a [Public Protector, Auditor-General or a member of a Commission established in terms of Chapter 9 of the Constitution] from office at any time after the start of the proceedings of a committee of the National Assembly for the removal of that person”.
Mkhwebane is seen to be an ally of former President Jacob Zuma and his supporters who oppose Ramaphosa’s rule.
She’s been a thorn in Ramaphosa’s side since he came to power in 2018, instituting a probe into allegations that he misled lawmakers about a campaign donation and more recently one into an alleged breach of ethics by him, without providing details on the infringement. She denies being biased against the president.
South African courts have overturned several of Mkhwebane’s rulings, including her adverse findings on Ramaphosa’s campaign funding.
- Additional reporting by agencies
