Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane ‘divides ANC’

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been caught up in a cauldron of ANC factions because she is becoming a new weapon in battles for the control of the governing party, say political experts.

Various political analysts who spoke to The Citizen said there is no doubt that Mkhwebane was in the middle of the governing party’s political infighting.

Any faction that won the tug-of-war over her would have an upper hand. This meant if Mkhwebane was successfully impeached, not only the Democratic Alliance (DA) would win, but it would be a victory for the Cyril Ramaphosa faction.

On the other hand, for the radical economic transformation faction or those aligned to former president Jacob Zuma, sparing Mkhwebane would ensure their political survival.

But the DA, which submitted a motion of no confidence against the public protector in February last year, is adamant that she must go and that she protected state looters.

Political economy analyst Daniel Silke said while Mkhwebane’s questionable conduct as a public protector should be the issue, currently she had become the divisive element within the ANC.

“Yes, this is deeply divisive within the ANC – there is political reluctance whether the ANC should ditch someone they appointed and support the DA motion,” Silke said.

“Even if they wanted to remove her from office, they don’t want to support a victory of the opposition.”

Another political analyst, Ralph Mathekga, said it was not about Mkhwebane being a lackey of one of the ANC factions, but her reports had been controversial and found wanting by courts.

“It’s not about Mkhwebane being undermined but about her carrying out her duties unsatisfactorily – her reports were not based on substantive evidence,” Mathekga said.

“Her reports lent themselves for use in the factional battles of the ANC. If she is not a politician, then one could ask what is it that she wants to achieve.”

Silke said the Mkhwebane issue had added to other matters that divided the party, such as the Zuma corruption trial, Zuma versus Zondo commission contempt of court and the ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s corruption trial.

“The Mkhwebane issue should be seen against the broad cauldron of ANC tensions over a lot of issues. The immediate issue for her is that there are those who support her to muster strength within the ANC,” said Silke.

“They want to use Mkhwebane as a rallying cry for the faction that is closely aligned to Zuma. It may not be her competency or lack of it they are interested in, but in winning the factional battle.”

Management and governance expert Prof Mazwe Majola said the Mkhwebane matter was “definitely going to divide the ANC” as some were adamant that she should not be removed or impeached.

He highlighted the fact that in politics there are no permanent enemies to recall that Magashule was against Mkhwebane’s findings against him, but now he was supporting that she must not be impeached.

Majola said her reports on Ramaphosa and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan raised suspicion of her political bias and the fact that courts rejected her reports put her competency and bias under question.

“It is very unfortunate that the public protector is at the centre of the battles within the ANC because that office should not be involved in party political issues,” Majola said.

DA leader John Steenhuisen was upfront and not that forgiving in his attack against Mkhwebane. In his weekly online newsletter, Straight Talk, Steenhuisen said Mkhwebane was hired to protect the state looters.

“The public protector’s role should be to protect the public from a corrupt state, not the other way around,” he said.

“A process is now under way to impeach Mkhwebane. This situation has strong parallels with the motions of no confidence in then president Zuma when ANC members of parliament were forced to choose between party and country.”

ericn@citizen.co.za

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