Cape Town — Former public protector and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has been warned by Parliament for her reckless statements against Indian South Africans.
Mkhwebane had blamed Indian prosecutors after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) struck her application off the roll to appeal the judgement that led to her removal from office. She took to X and blamed key figures of Indian descent as her “persecutors”.
“These individuals include Pravin Gordhan, Bawa (evidence leader), Adhikarie (Chief Legal Advisor of Parliament), Hassan Ebrahim (so-called expert witness), Ivan Pillay (witness), and Fatima Ebrahim (Legal Advisor of Parliament). Judge Poonan’s attitude further underscores the challenges and biases I have faced in my quest for justice,” Mkhwebane said.
‼️💔In light of the recent judgement by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in The Public Protector of South Africa v The Chairperson of the Section 194(1) Committee and Others (627/2023) [2024] ZASCA 131 (1 October 2024), I find myself deeply disappointed and disheartened. As a…
— Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane (@AdvBMkhwebane) October 1, 2024
In a statement, in response to Mkhwebane’s comments, Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, noted with dismay the utterances made by Mkhwebane, which impugned the integrity of Parliament staff, including the Chief Parliamentary Legal Advisor, a Parliamentary Legal Advisor as well as Section 194 Committee Evidence Leader.
“There is no merit at all to the attack levelled against these legal advisors, who have served Parliament with diligence and integrity over the years. The unwarranted attack on these officials, along with the racial slurs used by advocate Mkhwebane is particularly regrettable in a democratic society such as ours, where human dignity should be protected and respected,” Mothapo said.
He said Mkhwebane has a responsibility as an MP and public representative to protect the values enshrined in the Constitution.
“Advocate Mkhwebane has appropriately sought the court’s intervention to express her dissatisfaction with the outcome of the Section 194 Committee, and the court has now struck the matter from the roll. Parliament reaffirms its commitment to building a non-racial, non-sexist, and democratic South Africa,” Mothapo concluded.
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Parliament has issued a strong statement in which it slams Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane for her reckless statements about Parliament’s legal advisors and particularly her racial tropes directed at South Africans of Indian descent. https://t.co/pZunuVV0PF— Ismail Abramjee (@IsmailAbramjee) October 3, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
