Zandile Gumede backs Mkhwebane

FORMER eThekwini mayor and KwaZulu-Natal ANC member of the provincial legislature, Zandile Gumede, has come out in support of besieged Public Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, saying all women should back her as she faces impeachment.

Gumede said that should the DA-initiated motion to impeach Mkhwebane, based on allegations of incompetence and misconduct, succeed, the empowerment of women would suffer a heavy blow.

She said this at Lamontville yesterday during the funeral of Lungi Zuma, one of her long-time supporters, who died last week.

“According to some, if you are a woman you are corrupt, if you are a woman you are incompetent, if you are a woman you are not smart; they call you names. At the end of the day, as women, we must hold hands and support one another so that our struggle for total emancipation can be taken forward,” she said.

“If we fail as women to defend one of us who is Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane from being removed in the severe manner they want to remove her from office, we would have helped to derail efforts to ensure that women stick together and support one another.”

Gumede’s support for the embattled Mkhwebane comes as the impeachment process has already started dividing the ANC, with the governing party’s secretary-general, Ace Magashule, telling a Sunday publication that ANC MPs should not vote in support of the motion brought by the DA.

Early last week, Mervin Dirks, an ANC MP, publicly said he would not support the DA’s motion. His stance came shortly after the ANC Women’s League said it would ask its members who were MPS to ensure the impeachment bid failed.

MPs aligned to the Cyril Ramaphosa faction in the ANC are expected to agree to Mkhwebane’s removal.

Mkhwebane will know on March 16 whether Parliament will go ahead with the impeachment process as recommended by a panel comprising Justice Bess Nkabinde, advocate Dumisa Ntshebeza SC and advocate John de Waal SC.