Mkhwebane’s impeachment inquiry begins

PARLIAMENT - Parliament will embark on a historic exercise this week. It will start hearing evidence in its first-ever impeachment inquiry.

At stake is the future of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, whose fitness to hold office will be probed.

It comes after two years of legal battles challenging the legitimacy of the process.

Removing

Parliament’s Section 194 ad hoc committee will be venturing into unchartered waters this week. Never before has it considered removing a head of a Chapter 9 institution that it has appointed. Section 194 Ad Hoc Committee Chairperson Richard

Dyantyi said: “11 July we are going ahead, there’s no postponement. We are on track. We are here today to do the final touch-ups.

“This is where we are going to spend our time, every day of the three to four weeks until the end of the inquiry. We are very confident that Monday is the start of the process to check the fitness to hold office of Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane.”

With the public protector seemingly having run out of legal rope to continue challenging the process, she will now be legally represented in these proceedings, and be allowed to cross-examine witnesses.

Dyantyi says the committee was prepared for any curve balls that may come its way.

He said: “Part of our plan has got those contingencies. We’ve got contingencies when there is a pothole as to how we will deal with that.

Issues

“As we speak here, there is nothing that should really stand in our way to start. We expect there will always be issues raised, we are well prepared to always attend and respond to them without them stopping proceedings.”

While the witness list is being kept under wraps for now, two weeks have been set aside for their testimony.

Proceedings began yesterday with opening statements from the evidence leader and Mkhwebane’s legal counsel.

Casac Executive Director Lawson Naidoo said; “It shows that we have the systems in place in terms of the Constitution and the rules of the NA to hold a public office bearer to account for their actions and their conduct.

Accountability

“So it’s an expression of accountability first and foremost that public officials must be accountable for their actions.”

While the Public Protector’s office has pulled the plug on all of Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s legal challenges related to this inquiry, it will still be funding her legal defence in these proceedings.

At the last count, the office had spent more than R15 million to stop this impeachment inquiry.

(Pic: Phathu Luvhengo/TimesLIVE) Police Minister Bheki Cele (3rd L) was joined by Gauteng Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko and Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale at Nomzamo, where 15 people were killed in a tavern shooting in the early hours of Sunday.