President Cyril Ramaphosa has fired Busisiwe Mkhwebane after parliament voted for her removal. Picture: Oupa Mokoena / African News Agency (ANA)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has removed Busisiwe Mkhwebane from office and informed her of the decision in Parliament where the majority of MPs voted for her removal as Public Protector.
Ramaphosa wrote to Mkhwebane a day after Parliament voted overwhelmingly that she should be removed from office.
In his letter to Mkhwebane, Ramaphosa said she had been on suspension from last year pending the inquiry into her fitness to hold office.
Now that the inquiry has finalised its work and sent its report to Parliament, members of the national assembly voted for her removal.
“In terms of section 194(3)(b) of the Constitution, when the national assembly adopts a resolution for the removal of the public protector, the president ‘must’ remove the public protector from the office,” wrote Ramaphosa.
“I therefore hereby inform you that you are hereby removed from the office of the public protector in terms of section 194(3)(b) of the constitution on the grounds of misconduct and incompetence.”
Almost all the political parties supported the removal of Mkhwebane with the exception of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), United Democratic Movement (UDM) and African Transformation Movement (ATM).
Mkhwebane’s term was set to come to an end on October 14.
Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has been recommended by the ad hoc committee which was chaired by African National Congress MP Cyril Xaba, to be the next public protector.
This was after the interview of eight candidates for the position of the next public protector.
The vote on the appointment of Gcaleka will take place next Monday in the national legislature.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
IOL Politics