SIYABONGA SITHOLE
Joburg – Political analysts, Professor Sipho Seepe and Kim Heller have dismissed claims that they profited from the Public Protector’s Office contract as communication and media consultants to suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
In a statement issued out on Sunday, the pair admit to having met Mkhwebane in 2018 to offer their services on issues pertaining to ensuring effective communication strategies as they saw a need for such in the face of media attacks and other communication issues.
This statement comes after media reports picked up from the section 194 impeachment inquiry on Friday that the two analysts had tried to bag some consultancy work from the office of the public protector.
“We approached the Office of the Public Protector, among others, to offer our expertise in developing effective communication strategies. We are both highly skilled professionals who have expertise in government relations, media strategy and socio-political transformation,” the statement reads.
According to a statement, the pair said they met Mkhwebane at their own request, rather than that of the advocate when they presented their proposal for communication services.
The pair said following this meeting they were engaged by the office to do some ad-hoc and short-term communication strategies which were never paid for by Mkhwebane as the agreement did not commit beyond three months through Paul Ngobeni who was at the time providing legal services to the public protector.
“In 2019, we did some ad-hoc and short-term work (for a duration of three months) for Paul Ngobeni who was at the time providing the office of the public protector with a suite of legal and legal-related services, including the understanding and management of public perceptions, in the face of unfavourable court judgments, a partisan media and a misleading public narrative. Collectively and individually, our writings have focused on social and political justice, truth-seeking and contributing to a progressive and thoughtful public discourse, in the face of a singular master narrative,” statement reads.
The pair added that they were dismayed at the suggestion that they stood to gain through their efforts, adding that they would seek legal remedies should these continued attacks continue.
“We are dismayed that some individuals and some members of the media have resorted to attack our integrity, and that of the public protector, through dissemination of false information on this matter. We reserve the right to seek legal recourse against individuals and organisations spreading defamatory information,” they said.
The Star