Resumption of Mkhwebane inquiry delayed once again
A FURTHER unscheduled delay to the resumption of the committee for section 194 inquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office means that hearings will only resume tomorrow.
This latest delay comes in the wake of an ultimatum from Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for the committee to either meet its deadline for the end of May or abandon the process.
On Friday last week, Mapisa-Nqakula said she was concerned about the numerous delays in the impeachment inquiry and said she feared that if the process was abandoned the auditor-general would make an audit finding against Parliament.
“The people who will bear the brunt of the criticism will be Parliament, as though it is our problem. It’s not our problem. It cannot be our problem.”
The committee was established on March 16, 2021, and is now expected to conclude its work towards the end of May.
It was meant to resume work last Monday following a temporary adjournment as a result of the PPSA indicating that it would not be in a position to fund the costs of Mkhwebane’s legal team beyond March 31.
During that hiatus, the committee heard that the PPSA had since made available a further R4 million to conclude the process. This was after acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka told Parliament’s justice portfolio committee that it had secured the money to fund Mkhwebane’s legal fees at the stalled impeachment inquiry.
However, yesterday by 10am, the usual time when the proceedings begin, nothing was happening.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi said: “The committee will meet on Wednesday.”
At the last committee meeting on Monday last week, Dyantyi said: “The inquiry is going to proceed. We are not going to have another discussion about this legal team or that legal team is absent. We are resuming next Monday.”
Yesterday, in a statement, Dyantyi backtracked and said he had given Mkhwebane more time to allow her to issue instructions to her legal team before hearings could resume in earnest tomorrow.
Dyantyi said his decision followed the exchange of several letters between the PPSA, Seanego Attorneys who represent Mkhwebane, the committee and Mkhwebane herself. He said the letters would be tabled in the committee tomorrow.
During the committee’s last meeting there was unanimous agreement to adjourn for a week after Mkhwebane pleaded for a postponement over the issue of her legal representation.
“I will ask and plead with you that you let us postpone the hearing and let the PPSA follow proper processes and appoint the attorney and agree on the terms and conditions, appoint and brief the legal counsel and we can indeed proceed with the hearings.”
Members of the committee said it would be unfair to continue with the hearings without legal representation for Mkhwebane.