Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has asked Parliament to suspend its public hearings into her impeachment inquiry pending her legal challenge.
Her counsel, Dali Mpofu, said this was to allow her and her legal team to prepare to fight her suspension in court on Friday and they would need time to prepare.
The Western Cape High Court last week declared Mkhwebane’s suspension invalid, but President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Democratic Alliance have since appealed the ruling.
Senior Public Protector official Nelisiwe Thejane was supposed to continue giving evidence to the section 194 inquiry on Tuesday.
However, developments in court on Mkhwebane’s suspension and the pending application for leave to appeal the Western Cape High Court ruling on Friday means the inquiry has to adjust its programme.
Mpofu asked for a change of dates, saying that Mkhwebane was not only sick, but they were also not ready to cross-examine Thejane.
“Indications are that the resultant litigation will take place this week and involve numerous parties on both sides. It will be impossible for the Public Protector to consult her legal team and at the same time honour her obligations to attend to the inquiry.”
But committee chairperson Richard Dyantyi denied the postponement.
He said Mpofu’s cross-examination of the witness has been moved to next week.
Dyantyi also asked Mpofu to clarify the nature of Mkhwebane’s illness.
“To accommodate him and in the absence of the Public Protector, I will allow the cross-examination to be deferred to Wednesday, 21 September at 9am,” Dyantyi said.
The hearings continue.
-EWN
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