Mkhwebane denies rift between her and Thuli
The Public Protector has called media reports referring to alleged friction between her Thuli Madonsela, her and predecessor, as “baseless and malicious”.
This follows a City Press report on Sunday that suggested that Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane threatened to withdraw from the recent African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA) general assembly in Durban if Madonsela was invited.
The Public Protector denied these reports in a statement by her office on Tuesday.
“Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane has noted with disappointment the allegations peddled in the media at the weekend,” the statement reads.
ALSO READ: Twitter reacts to Public Protector's visit to Zuma
“Mkhwebane rejects the claims as baseless and malicious.”
On the issue of her own private staff, Mkhwebane said that it was natural for her to appoint people she’d prefer at the start of her own term.
“Even Advocate Mkhwebane’s predecessor brought her own team of aides when she took office and, at that point, staff that previously worked with Advocate Lawrence Mushwana were redeployed elsewhere,” the statement read.
Mkhwebane recently said that she is still in the process of gathering legal advice on how to approach the revision request by President Jacob Zuma on her predecessor's state capture report.