Busi’s actions suggest she must go

The job of Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, pictured, as the public protector is to defend the public. However, Mkhwebane is instead defending herself in court. Is she the right person for the job?

In the past, the public protector’s office was less prominent – even former public protectors are forgotten. The office was used to rubber-stamp wrong government decisions. In essence, it did not defend the public but government and governing party leaders.

When advocate Thuli Madonsela came to the office, she changed all that. Madonsela did her job without fear or favour. In other words, she defended the public with passion. As a result, the nation was happy with her job. She is now a professor at Stellenbosch University.

Then Mkhwebane succeeded Madonsela. In a short space of time, she erased all the good work done by her predecessor.

She also involved herself in ANC matters. That’s the problem with appointing comrades into such positions.

She seems to thrive on controversy. A few months into office, Mkhwebane called for the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank. That was out of her scope. What was she thinking? And why was she meddling in political affairs?

Mkhwebane loses crucial and easy cases. That says a lot about her. In one of the cases she lost, the court ordered her to pay legal fees from her own pocket. However, she appealed that.

Now she is appearing before the court for perjury, which is a serious charge. She is attracting media attention for all the wrong reasons and bringing her office into disrepute. She must just resign or be forced out.

Thabile Mange