Cape Town —Former Public Protector and current Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, said she is struggling following her drastic salary reduction.
While Mkhwebane’s salary has dropped significantly from her role as a public protector to MP, she is still walking away with a healthy five-figure monthly salary. Her salary reportedly dropped from a whopping R193 000 a month, to a “measly” R92 245 per month, with Mkhwebane saying she can “hardly make ends meet”, News24 said.
“I can hardly make ends meet considering the drastic reduction in my monthly income of the preceding seven years. In any event, my term of office as a parliamentarian will come to an end as of May 2024 following the upcoming national elections. As matters currently stand, I will have no guaranteed source of income beyond that point,” she stated.
This was part of the background Mkhwebane laid out in her urgent bid to force the Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) to give her the R10 million “gratuity” paid to incumbents after they vacated office.
Although Busisiwe Mkhwebane is now a high-ranking EFF MP earning about R1.2m a year, she told the court she can “hardly make ends meet”. Most would be happy to have her problem.https://t.co/jiAyPFGPGT
— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) March 10, 2024
It is argued that Mkhwebane is not entitled to the cash gratuity as she did not “vacate her office” but instead she was removed from office, with the PPSA laywers saying there is no legal basis for her to receive the gratuity.
Meanwhile, the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services interviewed seven candidates for the position of Deputy Public Protector (DPP). However, the committee was delayed due to Mkhwebane being on the interview panel, alleging a conflict of interest, Parliament said.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said her connections to at least two of the candidates are a clear conflict of interest, while Mkhwebane said her views would not influence the committee’s decision. One of the candidates is representing Mkhwebane in a pro bono legal matter, while another was disciplined by her as an employee of the Public Protector’s office, EWN reported.
“I’m representing the masses of the people. I’m not here as Mkhwebane the Public Protector. I’m here to make sure I assist the committee.”
Committee Chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said the concerns raised would be considered once the interviews have been completed, and a legal opinion is received on Monday.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
