The suspended Public Protector, adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane. (Photo: Twitter)
Parliament’s section 194 committee, which is charged with the process on adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s possible removal as Public Protector (PO), has postponed his trial over Mkhwebane’s lack of legal representation.
Mkhwebane requested that the hearing be postponed so that she can obtain legal representation. The committee was supposed to resume its hearings on Monday after the temporary postponement of its work due to the OB’s office indicating that he would not be in a position to pay the costs of Adv. to finance Mkhwebane’s legal team after 31 March 2023.
Members of the committee said it would be unfair to proceed with the hearings without legal representation for Adv. Mkhwebane. The committee heard that the OB’s office has since made a further R4 million available to complete the process.
Qubudile Dyantyi, chairman of the committee, said the committee will resume operations next Monday, which for adv. Giving Mkhwebane time to sort out any issues regarding her legal representation.
“The investigation continues. We are not going to have another conversation about legal representation. We will resume the process next week Monday with the previous or new legal representation.”
It was earlier reported that Mkhwebane’s legal costs are now jeopardizing the financial sustainability of the office of the OB – which already has an extremely limited budget.
The office of the OB has spent around R147 million on legal costs in the past six years.
The committee was established on 16 March 2021 to conduct a constitutional investigation into the OB’s suitability to hold office and is expected to complete its work by the end of May.
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