South Africa: Ramaphosa suspends Public Protector with immediate effect

President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane with immediate effect.

In a statement, the president says Mkhwebane will remain suspended until the Section 194 process to remove her in the National Assembly has been completed.

It says the President has fulfilled his obligation to provide Mkhwebane a fair hearing buy according her sufficient time and opportunity to make submissions which he has considered carefully.

Section 194(3) (a) of the Constitution provides that the President may suspend the Public Protector (or any member of a Chapter 9 institution) “at any time after the start of proceedings by a committee of the National Assembly for [their] removal”.

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) June 9, 2022

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The statement says that due to the Deputy Public Protector empowered to act when the Public Protector is not able to perform her duties any investigations that are pending or underway should not be impeded.

Mkhwebane’s suspension comes just days after she confirmed that she would probe the matter of the robbery on Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm and if the President had breached the Executive Code of Ethics after receiving a complaint from the African Transformation Movement.

In April, Mkhwebane applied for an urgent High Court application to halt the Parliamentary impeachment proceedings against her.

We know why pic.twitter.com/vCJ0nkwEN1

— Gqonqa (@MzwandileShand7) June 9, 2022

Mkhwebane wants the authorisation of the Section 194 committee to be declared unconstitutional and invalid and for Ramaphosa’s intention to suspend her, to be declared unconstitutional and invalid. – SABC