Mkhwebane Face Investigation Over Possible Misappropriated Public Protector SA Funds

The former South African public protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, is under scrutiny by her former office as investigations are initiated to determine if she, at any point, wrongly benefited from institution funds allocated for her legal costs during her tenure. The evaluation is the aftermath of her removal from office on misconduct and incompetence charges by the National Assembly on September 11.

The CEO of the public protector’s office, Thandi Sibanyoni, addressed MPs during a parliamentary justice committee briefing, announcing that an in-house review of all financial transactions, stretching from 2016 to the present time, is in progress. The process aims to identify if there had been any payment of Mkhwebane's legal costs that the Public Protector SA (PPSA) ought not to have borne.

A noteworthy incident being examined by Sibanyoni’s office is a defamation of character case involving the Democratic Alliance, where Mkhwebane and PPSA have become mysteriously entangled, resulting in the institution paying the legal costs.

Further to these probes, there is a process underway to calculate Mkhwebane's cushioned housing costs during her tenure, to the tune of R2.1m, despite suggestions she move to a more affordable accommodation.

Sibanyoni's team is working round the clock to wrap up the probe and head to the National Treasury for direction on potential recovery processes. This becomes a tricky conundrum since Mkhwebane was not an employee but the executive authority, introducing legal and financial complexities to the recovery tactics.

Overall, the PPSA reportedly spent a staggering R30.5m on Mkhwebane's legal and travel expenses during the Section 194 inquiry into her removal. There is an outstanding lawyers' claim of R900,000 which awaits verification.