Mkhwebane report could be sent to Parliament in September for voting

The chairperson of the inquiry into the Public Protector, Qubudile Dyantyi, has indicated that the final report that made damning findings against Busisiwe Mkhwebane could be sent to the National Assembly in the next few weeks.

Dyantyi said the process was now in the hands of the programming committee that will determine the date in which the report will be referred to the national assembly.

He said the possible date could be September.

Dyantyi, who was briefing the media on Wednesday, said Parliament would need to get a two-thirds majority to remove suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane from office.

Dyantyi said he has already indicated that the report will now go to parliament and once approved by the National Assembly it will be taken to President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign off.

“Yesterday, I indicated that the report is no longer our property. The committee has done its work. I am hoping the next meeting of the National Assembly’s programming committee would have that as an item because that committee must now programme the date for when we are going to be voting for this report and the two-thirds that we need because this is now about the removal of the public protector.

“When that date comes, we hope it will be in September for the National Assembly to do that because we don’t have time. October 14 is the last date (for the public protector’s term of office). It has to be in September, hopefully, because at the end of that the National Assembly must submit the report, their decision to the president who must confine himself because the president has no discretionary (powers) on this. The Constitution is very clear. Once the National Assembly takes that decision he must sign off,” said Dyantyi.

He said the committee has worked hard since the process started last year.

The report was put together after careful consideration by the parties in the committee.

The committee made its findings based on the work that was done over several months.

Dyantyi said there were reasons in the report why it reached the decision it reached.

siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za

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