The decision by Public Protector (PP), adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to oppose the court challenge that the Reserve Bank and the Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba, filed against her findings and recommendations for ABSA is irrational and showcases her ignorance and incompetency, says adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus chairperson.
According to adv. Alberts, the PP is clearly out of her depth and she apparently didn’t get the message that she acted outside of her mandate by making the said recommendations.
He says that she is simply playing around with words by saying that she was ‘misunderstood’.
“Her remark in her report regarding the Reserve Bank was totally out of order seeing as it is a matter that needs to be raised by parliament because it would require a constitutional amendment.
“Her findings can only be quashed by the court challenge that the parties have now filed and the fact that she opposes it goes to show that she wants to interfere with parliament’s powers and that she wants to sanction constitutional amendments from her office, which is simply not her job. In so doing, she is also directly opposing Finance Minister Gigaba.
“In comparison with her predecessor, the current PP is quickly becoming an embarrassment for South Africa. It is a frightening situation in which we find ourselves seen in light of the fact that her office fulfils a critically important role in protecting South African citizens against government squandering.
“It is ironic that she is actually busy doing what she is meant to prevent, that is, she is wasting the government’s money on an unnecessary court challenge. It is disappointing and it begs the question of whether she is at all suited for this important position,” says adv. Alberts.
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