DA hopes to start proceedings to remove Busisiwe Mkhwebane next week

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday it hoped a parliamentary inquiry into Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness for office could start as soon as next week.

The party’s comments came after Friday’s judgment by the Western Cape High Court, which dismissed Mkhwebane’s application to stop Parliament from proceeding.

Mkhwebane approached the court to stop Parliament from initiating a process that could end in her removal as the Public Protector pending a judicial review.

The DA spearheaded the motion to remove Mkhwebane for what it called incompetence. The party’s request was eventually granted by Speaker Thandi Modise, who is listed as the first respondent in the case.

DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone said she hoped Friday’s court ruling would be the end of the matter for Mkhwebane and that she would not continue her challenge.

“I would love to say that this would be the end of the advocate’s attempt to halt the process against her, but I very much doubt it, and I think everything but the kitchen sink will be thrown at Parliament to stop them from doing their job. But we now have a court order,” she said.

The court ruling also came a day after Modise told the National Assembly programme committee that she already had the names of members of the independent panel that would assess the case against Mkhwebane.

Mazzone said the process could start as early as next week.

“I think that today’s proceedings will simply embolden the Speaker to start that process very, very soon, as soon as next week if the names are in front of her. It’s taken a while,” she said.

Mkhwebane’s office could not be reached for comment.