By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka stood by her report that cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of wrongdoing during the theft of foreign currency at his Phala Phala game farm.
She faced a host of questions about her leadership style in the Chapter 9 institution since Busisiwe Mkhwebane was placed on suspension by Ramaphosa in June last year.
Gcaleka said their role was not to investigate the sale of buffalo in Phala Phala, but issues that involve public administration.
She said in their report that was clarified.
She said they put in a lot of work to investigate Phala Phala.
While the law requires that investigations must be completed within 30 days, there was nothing wrong if it goes beyond that if proper procedures were followed, she said.
The Phala Phala investigation took a year for the Public Protector to finalise.
Gcaleka, the last to be interviewed out of the eight candidates, was grilled by DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach for her vocal support of former NPA head Menzi Simelane when she was chairperson of the Prosecutors’ Association.
In her response, Gcaleka said she was supportive of the transformative agenda Simelane stood for at the time.
“It is an agenda I still support even in the Office of the Public Protector,” she said, adding that she was against any form of racism.
But Breytenbach said she had supported Simelane not only for transformation but other agendas to destroy the NPA, and went on to mention that Simelane was found by courts to not be a fit and proper person.
Gcaleka said she could not have supported another agenda.
“I was not part of decision-making. I had no idea of his other agenda,” she said.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Omphile Maotwe raised the question of Gcaleka’s membership to the ANC Youth League.
“I possess no membership of the ANC or any other political party,” she said.
She also denied an assertion by Maotwe that she had failed the initial security vetting when she was to be appointed as an advisor to former minister Malusi Gigaba.
Asked whether she had advised Gigaba as a ministerial advisor about his relationship with the Guptas, she said she had no knowledge of a relationship between the two at the time.
Gcaleka also defended her decision to limit Mkhwebane’s legal fees, saying she was looking out for the best interests of the office, which was facing a cash crunch.
“As a person who is vested with the exercise of public power, section 195 of the Constitution states that I need to do so in a manner that is economical, efficient and effective.
“And having done that, it is in line with the Constitution and my roles and responsibilities as the executive authority or accounting authority of Public Protector South Africa where I have to have oversight over the governance and the finances of the public protector,” she said.
Eight candidates have been interviewed for the position of Public Protector. Parliament’s ad hoc committee has until the end of this month to recommend a suitable candidate to the National Assembly.
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Video Courtesy of Parliament.