'Parliament has duty to hold enquiry into Public Protector'

It upheld a high court order that Busisiwe Mkhwebane be held personally liable for 15% of legal costs in a matter involving the Reserve Bank.  

The high court found that she was biased in her Bankorp findings and should personally pay some of the costs. 

But in a scathing judgement yesterday, the ConCourt said it had found that Mkhwebane was not honest about some of the engagements during her investigation.

NOW READ: Mkhwebane says she was truthful under oath

"We also find that the Public Protector omitted pertinent documents from the record. Some of which were only put up for the first time as annexes to her answering affidavit in the high court and others which were disclosed for the first time in this court," Khampepe said. 

The DA believes Mkhwebane's failings go much deeper than simple technical errors and that she isn't fit to hold office.  

The party's John Steenhuisen says they'll be writing to the Speaker to request a follow up to a complaint they submitted a few months ago.

"We believe that Parliament now has a duty in light of this Constitutional Court judgement to expedite our request to have an enquiry into the fitness of Ms. Mkhwebane to continue in office as the Public Protector. Parliament determines the Public Protector's Act and the Constitution is now obliged to conduct a hearing into Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office," Steenhuisen said. 

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Mkhwebane says she has not acted in bad faith. She says she'll study the judgement before deciding what to do next.

"Indeed, if this judgement is convincing or there are elements which then prove to them that I acted in bad faith - I know that I acted in good faith. It's very clear from all my documentation that this investigation was conducted purely based on that. I will study the judgement and I will respond comprehensively," Mkhwebane said.