Public protector set to ring the changes

ON MONDAY when the new Public Protector, advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, arrived at work in Pretoria, she noticed that staff morale was low.

Mkhwebane revealed this yesterday during her first media briefing since she took over as public protector. Boosting staff morale was among her priorities.

Issues affecting staff related to performance management as well as the occupation-specific dispensation, which had led to senior staff earning less than their juniors.

She said her office would not bank on foreign donor funds any more because of the risks associated with that. Mkhwebane told Parliament on Tuesday that her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, had secured a donation of $500 000 (about R7 million) from the US.

Other changes included a different way of titling of reports (unlike, for example, the one used for the report on President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla expenditure, “Secure in Comfort”) to avoid tension with the state.

Mkhwebane was also set to establish a team to focus on disposing of all cases older than two years. A moratorium had also been placed on international trips. Mkhwebane said she wanted to invest in building internal expertise. She had not received a written handover from Madonsela.

Mkhwebane’s appointment was recommended by all parties except the DA, which raised concerns about her being a former spy.