Mkhwebane must be shown the door

ANOTHER week, another embarrassing outcome for Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

Following the Pretoria High Court judgment setting aside her ill-informed finding that R1.1-billion be paid back by Absa for an apartheid-era bailout granted to Bankorp, our beleaguered public protector has once again shown herself to be unfit to fill this important position for which the highest levels of integrity and impartiality are required.

Mkhwebane, quite simply, is not a patch on former public protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela, whose stellar reputation Mkhwebane tried unsuccessfully to dent more than once.

On top of that it is by now abundantly clear that Mkhwebane just does not grasp the duties and responsibilities of the job.

Judge Cynthia Pretorius said in Friday’s judgment that the public protector “does not fully understand her constitutional duty to be impartial and to perform her functions without fear, favour or prejudice”.

It is a scathing indictment against her, but scarcely the first. Last year, Mkhwebane also had egg on her face when her laughable proposal that the Reserve Bank’s mandate be modified came crashing down in court.

It is not surprising that political parties are calling for Mkhwebane to be removed from office in terms of section 194 of the constitution, which states such action may be taken on the grounds of misconduct, incapacity or incompetence.

One can’t help but wonder on what basis she landed the position over more than 60 other candidates?

And what does it say about the strength of the parliamentary process that led to her selection in the first place?

Whatever the case, the time has come for Mkhwebane to be relieved of her position. And the sooner the better, if we are to see the systematic restoration of our compromised state institutions in this promising new post-Zuma era.