Mbalula defends Kholeka Gcaleka against 'attacks' over her past political affiliations with the ANC Youth League

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has defended acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka against “attacks” for her past political affiliation with the ANC Youth League. 

Speaking at a media briefing at the weekend, Mbalula said Gcaleka should not be attacked because of her past political affiliations but on whether she can do the job.

Gcaleka, during her interview for the role of the deputy public protector in 2019, confirmed to parliament she was once a member of the ANC and in the leadership of the youth league.

“Kholeka has been attacked, including about her membership of the ANC Youth League at some point. Anyone can be a member of a political party, but when you resume particular duties you will not serve the party, you will serve the public,” he said.

“At any given point, somebody belonged to a political party. Any judge in this party, at some point in school, was a member of Sasco [South African Students Congress], an activist, but today they are judges. So are you going to be judged on the basis of your work or on the basis of your membership of a particular organisation?”

Mbalula said those who reject Gcaleka’s Phala Phala report should legally challenge it.

“Her decisions must be tested and challenged in a court of law. The public protector is not a demigod, their decisions can be challenged and taken on review,” he said.

EFF leader Julius Malema has accused Gcaleka of clearing Ramaphosa so she could be “appointed as the public protector”.

“Gcaleka led the ANC Youth League with us, we are talking about yesterday. She was not just a member, she was a leader of the ANC Youth League in Gauteng,” Malema said.

“She left to be an adviser for Malusi Gigaba. [Gcaleka] became an acting public protector and exonerated the president and then applied for the position. She is seeking something; she was not supposed to be the one presiding over that matter [Phala Phala] if she knew she is interested in becoming a public protector.

“Now she exonerates the president because she knows the president has the majority in parliament, and he is going to have an influence in who gets appointed as the public protector. We have a crisis here; this needs to be looked into.”

Gcaleka has defended her report that found Ramaphosa did not misuse state resources in the Phala Phala scandal.

She said the report by her office was not biased to protect Ramaphosa.

“This report has been well thought out. I am confident this is a matter in which the public protector would not be found to have been biased or to have dealt with the matter in an unbecoming manner,” she said.

Her office did not investigate the US dollars sale transaction further as it was of a private entity and did not fall under her office’s mandate and certain criminal allegations from the sale would be probed by the Hawks.

“We have made no findings on those matters. The president has not been cleared on whether there was anything untoward in respect of this particular transaction.” 

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