ANC nominates Gigaba's former adviser for deputy public protector

The ANC has nominated advocate Kholeka Gcaleka to become the next deputy public protector.

In his motivation for Gcaleka, ANC MP Hishaam Mohamed said he was impressed by the way she carried herself during her interview in parliament. He said her professional record showed that the public would also have confidence in her abilities.

Her nomination was not without controversy, however. The EFF vehemently opposed Gcaleka’s shortlisting, citing her role as legal adviser to former minister Malusi Gigaba.

Mohamed told the justice committee on Tuesday that the views raised against Gcaleka during interviews were not factual. He pointed out that when Gigaba resigned as minister, Gcaleka moved on to work for another minister, which proved her capabilities.

“Nothing disqualifies this particular candidate. The candidate was way ahead of other candidates,” he said.

The DA also objected to Gcaleka’s nomination. MP Glynnis Breytenbach said she found Gcaleka to be defensive and emotional during the interview, and claimed that she did not deal with the questions adequately.

Both parties questioned why Gcaleka, as a legal professional, had continued to work with Gigaba after the minister was found to have lied under oath.

“Why would any self-respecting lawyer continue to associate with a man who had lied under oath?” asked Breytenbach.

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi also raised concerns that Gcaleka “saw no ethical contradictions with having worked for someone who lies under oath”.

Both Breytenbach and Ndlozi nominated Moshoeshoe Moshoeshoe, an attorney at Sars, for the job.

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