Staff Reporter.
File Photo.
Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has announced that she is on sabbatical until the end of March this year.
In a statement on Monday, Mkhwebane’s office said her reason for the surprise move was for her to get some rest. The under-fire Mkhwebane is facing three counts of perjury and is expected to appear at the North Gauteng High Court on Thursday.
This after a charge was laid by Accountability Now director Paul Hoffman in 2019.
Her impending court appearance was made public after a copy of a summons, dated December 15, was leaked to the media.
The perjury charge relates to the Constitutional Court judgment that found Mkhwebane to be dishonest in her conduct in her Reserve Bank/Absa investigation.
Mkhwebane is also facing a parliamentary inquiry brought by the opposition DA which may lead to her removal over a number of investigations, including the Absa/Reserve Bank matter, which she bungled.
Media Statement | PP @AdvBMkhwebane on a sabbatical leave pic.twitter.com/tQmyLS5VTt
— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) January 18, 2021
National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise has acceded to a request to extend a parliamentary inquiry into the fitness of Mkhwebane to hold office due to the “voluminous evidence” that needs to be assessed.
On November 25, Modise announced the appointment of a panel of retired Constitutional Court justice Bess Nkabinde as chair, advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza SC, and academic Johan de Waal SC to assess whether there is a prima facie case to justify an inquiry into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.