Committee hears Mkhwebane wanted no findings against politicians in Vrede report
The section 194 inquiry into the public protector has heard how Busisiwe Mkhwebane allegedly instructed investigators not to make any findings against politicians when compiling the report into the Vrede Dairy Project.
The impeachment inquiry into the suspended public protector entered its second week on Monday.
Senior investigator at the Officer of the Public Protector Tebogo Kekana, who was subpoenaed to appear before the parliamentary committee, was the lead investigator into the controversial Free State project.
Kekana told MPs that Mkhwebane removed the previous lead investigator Erika Celliers from the case because she believed Celliers was a member of the DA.
"Much of the evidence needed was contained in the leaked emails of the Gupta family which were known to the media as the Gupta leaks. Advocate Mkhwebane stated that the emails were not to be used in the investigation nor the report.
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“I was also informed by Mr Reginald Ndou that Advocate Mkhwebane had instructed him not to make any findings in the report against any politician.
"We were accordingly forced to remove any adverse findings contained in the report against any politician,including Ace Magashule, who was the Premier of the ANC and Mosebenzi Zwane, the then MEC of Agriculture at the time.”
Ndou was the executive manager for the provincial investigation’s integration unit.
