By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane is under investigation for alleged misconduct and incompetence by Parliament’s Section 194 committee.
As the inquiry was set to hear explosive evidence about her spending of R146 million, the suspended Public Protector said she wants the inquiry’s chairperson and a DA MP recused.
Now, UDM MP Bantu Holomisa and #FeesMustFall activist Chumani Maxwele want evidence leader Nazreen Bawa SC to be recused amid accusations by Judge President John Hlophe’s lawyer, Barnabas Xulu.
Mkhwebane inquiry evidence leader Nazreen Bawa SC has become the third target of forced recusal attempts – based on accusations levelled against her by Judge President John Hlophe’s attorney, Barnabas Xulu, in his campaign to avoid paying back millions of rand in legal fees.
The complaints from Holomisa and Maxwele relied solely on Xulu’s affidavit, which included claims Bawa placed false evidence before the court and interfered in the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) investigations.
Bawa said they had a similar turn of phrase. “I have not interfered in any NPA prosecution, nor any investigation into criminal conduct, nor sought to frustrate any criminal investigations, nor sought to shield any person from criminal investigations,” she said.
She said it was an ongoing matter, and her clients indicated they do not intend to withdraw her brief.
Bawa added she had yet to work out exactly what criminality she was implicated in.
“I am also not a decision-maker, nor a member of the committee,” she said.
“The complainants have not pointed to anything done during this inquiry that warrants my removal.”
As Bawa represented the department of environment, forestry and fisheries (DFFE) in a matter in which Xulu has been ordered to repay R20 million to the department, she said the allegations against her were put before the committee in a “mischievous way”.
She said: “I do not require any space to deal with vexatious allegations – which are based on supposition and have before this committee been mischievously and erroneously elevated to prima facie evidence, despite constituting substantial misrepresentations.”
Bawa said the allegations against her by Xulu – who himself was under investigation by the Legal Practice Council for alleged dishonesty – showed he is a “disgruntled litigant”.
It is understood Xulu had also lost or abandoned 13 court appearances against DFFE.
“Instead of paying back the more than R20 million that several courts have found BXI/Xulu to have unlawfully removed from departmental bank accounts, BXI/Xulu have embarked on a vendetta – and indications are that he is aided by his erstwhile clients, Maxwele and Paul Ngobeni – against the legal team engaged by DFFE.
This involves from time to time making scurrilous, vexatious and unsubstantiated allegations through supposition and inferences in a manner which defies logic, and in this instance, on the part of Xulu making material misrepresentations to a court under oath. This behaviour is unbecoming an officer of a court.”
Democratic Alliance MP Kevin Mileham said Bawa was not the person of interest to the committee.
“She is not a person who we should be investigating or taking further action against. Other issues she might be dealing with outside this committee are absolutely irrelevant.”
Livestream Video Below:
Video Courtesy of Parliament.