Cape Town — Advocate Busiswe Mkhwebane has issued an apology for the racial comments she made about being the target of Indian persecutors after losing a case against the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
Mkhwebane had her latest appeal rejected by the SCA and blamed Indian persecutors for the agenda against her. She felt as though she was being punished for exercising her rights and blamed key figures of “Indian descent” who positioned themselves as her prosecutors.
“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
Following her comments, Parliament condemned Mkhwebane for her comments and said the attacks had no merit to them.
“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,” Parliament said.
JUST IN:
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
Mkhwebane appeared on SABC News’ Face the Nation where she discussed the judgement that was handed to her. She expressed her disappointment with the way she and her legal team were treated during the appeal.
She also addressed the comments she made towards Indian legal advisors.
“For me, it’s a trend I was contemplating while sitting and asking myself, what do I make of this? I am not insulting any person, nor is it a fact that they are of Indian descent,” she said.
She explained that she pinpointed the treatment she received from Gordhan during her investigation and said it was as if she was fighting him.
“It’s as if I was fighting him while doing my work. I don’t understand why it is perceived as if I am attacking Indians,” she said,
She said that mentioning Indians was just a trend she noticed, and could mention blacks or any other racial group.
“I clarified that matter. I don’t mean to cause any perception that I am attacking those legal advisers. They are hardworking, and at the end of the day, yes, I’m prepared to [apologise] if they think it’s like that,” she said
“It’s concerning for parliament to think it’s a racial slur. If you read that post again and again and ask yourself whether I was discriminating, being racist or being hateful, I’m mentioning what the current situation is,” she added.
“I’m willing to say, ‘OK, let’s forget about race’ — and let me mention them by name or even mention that my challenge also stems from what the late Pravin Gordhan did to my demise,” she concluded.
Picture: X/@azania1023
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
