Ready for the hot seat

In a fashion reminiscent of Thuli Madonsela in 2009, a relatively unknown government department director, advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has defied the odds to become the preferred candidate for the position of public protector.

Madonsela was also an unknown entity when she became public protector seven years ago. And her term at the Chapter Nine institution is arguably the most venerable in that office.

Madonsela’s most newsworthy report to date was “Secure In Comfort”, in which she found that President Jacob Zuma had unduly benefited from non-security upgrades to his private home at Nkandla, made at huge cost to the state and taxpayers.

If Mkhwebane’s appointment is approved by the National Assembly and Zuma, one of the most important tasks awaiting her will be completing and releasing a report on the politically connected Gupta family, and claims of state capture made against them.

The report will serve as an early test of her independence in dealing with major cases pertaining to the abuse of power, where the stakes for the nation and those being investigated are high. Commentators say anything less than the leadership Madonsela has displayed would portray Mkhwebane as a political lackey in the eyes of the public.

According to the public protector’s annual report for 2013/2014, the office finalised