Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she does not believe the section 194 inquiry into her fitness to hold office represents a genuine impeachment process.
The suspended public protector was presenting evidence before the section 194 committee in parliament on Wednesday.
“For the record, I do not, for one second, believe this process represents a genuine impeachment process. ”
She said the entire process was also a vanity “special project” of the DA, which aimed to score political points as the first party to cause a head of a chapter nine institution to face impeachment proceedings.
“This process has nothing to do with accountability. The public protector accounts to parliament and I have done that without fail.
“It has nothing to do with the constitution and the rule of law because at the end of the day, I would say 90% of the Executive Members' Ethics Act complaints which were lodged were from members of the DA against members of the ruling party.
“It is a politically motivated witch hunt masquerading as a bona fide inquiry under the auspices of section 194 of the constitution,” Mkhwebane said.
Section 194 provides that the public protector, auditor-general or a member of a commission established in terms of chapter nine of the constitution may be removed from office only on the grounds of misconduct, incapacity or incompetence, and on a finding to that effect by a committee of the National Assembly.
I think the cause of all the troubles ... is touching the untouchables. I think the real cause being the DA because during my appointment, they were the only party which never supported my appointment
— Busisiwe Mkhwebane
“It is a racially motivated campaign borne out of the fear of real change which might actually benefit the poorest and most marginalised members of the public, who are in the main black, at the expense of those who benefit the most from an untransformed economic status quo,” she said.
Mkhwebane said in its effort to get rid of her and punish her for doing her work as prescribed in the constitution, the DA was aided and abetted by the ANC, which was driven by separate motives of retaliation and revenge for having exposed corruption and other wrongdoing on the part of its most powerful leaders, such as president Cyril Ramaphosa.
She said this was in respect of the CR17/Bosasa funding matter and more recently the Phala Phala scandal, which she said led to her suspension.
Mkhwebane also mentioned her investigation of public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan in respect of the so-called “rogue unit and fake retirement of [former Sars official] Mr [Ivan] Pillay”.
In her opening address, Mkhwebane said since she started working as public protector she had never had peace.
“I think the cause of all the troubles ... is touching the untouchables. I think the real cause being the DA because during my appointment, they were the only party which never supported my appointment.
“After that they came with the allegation of me being a spy, they failed to prove it. Also, they started in 2017 to initiate the process of me coming here,” Mkhwebane said.
The inquiry continues.
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