PP finds fresh ammo to gun for CR

n In January Mkhwebane received a complaint

PUBLIC Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane is investigating President Cyril Ramaphosa on fresh complaints.

In January Mkhwebane received a complaint after an audio was heard of Ramaphosa saying he was aware of corruption performed by his ANC cadres but did not take action because he wanted to protect the party.

The complaint was by ANC MP Mervin Dirks. Shortly after Dirks' complaint, ANC MP Pemmy Majodina sought to remove Dirks from the ANC study group.

The Anti-Poverty Forum has submitted a second complaint to the public protector, the first was a 2019 complaint about Independent Power Producers and a massive deal allegedly implicating Ramaphosa and his brother-in-law, then Public Enterprises Minister Jeff Radebe.

The Anti-Poverty Forum's recent complaint is about a “corrupt link between Ramaphosa and some judges”.

The forum's chairperson Phapano Pasha told The Star that part of their complaint stems from the Judicial Services Commission's (JSC) interview for the country's new Chief Justice in which the forum says Judge Dustin Mlambo may have implicated the president.

The public protector is yet to release her report about the controversial Zimbabwe trip where ANC top guns used an SANDF airport to meet their Zimbabwean counterparts.

Political party ATM has accused Ramaphosa of approving the trip but later placing the blame on then defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula. Ramaphosa “disciplined” Mapisa Nqakula by cutting two months of her salary but strangely later supported her move from defence to the position of Speaker of the National Assembly – a position paying almost double that of a minister.

Mkhwebane has demanded that Mapisa Nqakula halt the impeachment process against her as to stop Ramaphosa from suspending her.

Mkhwebane's lawyers said the reason they're calling for a halt to the process of axing Mkhwebane is that: “The president is personally, heavily and multiply conflicted in this matter (process to remove Mkhwebane) due to various investigations which have recently been or are presently being investigated by her against or concerning allegations of breach of ethics or violations of the Constitution.”

Ramaphosa's spokesperson Tyrone Seale had not responded to questions by time of print.