Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has called on Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to “fall on her sword” after another bruising court judgment against her in the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday. Mkhwebane had released a report last year, where she found President Cyril Ramaphosa had deliberately misled Parliament about a R500 000 donation his CR17 ANC election campaign received from the late Bosasa businessman Gavin Watson.
In passing down judgment, Judge President Dunstan Mlambo found that Mkhwebane’s report released in July last year was fundamentally flawed. As a result, the judges declared it invalid and set it aside.
Not one to toe the party line, Mboweni took to social media just after 9pm on Tuesday night and actively called for Mkhwebane’s removal. ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe had earlier said the party had not taken a decision on the removal of the public protector because the matter had never been discussed at the party’s national executive committee meetings. A DA-sponsored motion has been tabled in Parliament to remove Mkhwebane.
Meanwhile, EFF leader Julius Malema and his deputy Floyd Shivambu were among the more prominent people to defend Mkhwebane after Mboweni’s late night tweet. Malema promised Mboweni that it would take a hard battle to remove Mkhwebane, while Shivambu proclaimed her removal from office ‘will not happen’.
In a democracy like ours, the PP should fall on her sword. Game over!!
— Tito Mboweni (@tito_mboweni) March 10, 2020
Mkhwebane herself told PowerFM last week that she would stay in office until her term ends in 2022. “It will not happen without a fight, not a promise but a commitment,” Malema told Mboweni.
ATM’s head of policy and strategy, Mzwanele Manyi, said Mboweni should be the one resigning because of the country’s crumbling economy.
“But under your stewardship the economy is crumbling. Economic Growth 2020 = 0.9%, debt to GDP Ratio 2020 = 65%, two recessions in two years, irregular expenditure up by R10bn, tax collections dropped. Maybe you should lead by example, and submit your resignation,” Manyi told Mboweni.
In other news – Someone will confess for killing Senzo Meyiwa – Sangoma’s bones speak
Sangoma Skhunisivuthemanzini Mkhize said an arrest was about to take place in the Senzo Meyiwa case. Mkhize from Meadowlands, Soweto, told Daily Sun in November the truth would come out. Senzo and his dad had reunited on the other side and were fighting for justice.
“I saw someone being taken to jail and Senzo and his dad celebrating.” Their spirits would make those responsible for his murder talk. Read more
Source: eNCA