The inquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office may be entering its final stretch, but the battle between its chairperson and Mkhwebane is far from over.
Qubudile Dyantyi’s latest decision to refuse yet another bid to recuse himself as the chairperson sets the stage for a yet another legal showdown.
He maintains that he never acted in any manner that was unfair to Mkhwebane and is of the view that the evidence tendered does not support that there is any prima facie proof of the allegations against him.
Those in support of Mkhwebane may now feel strongly justified in their grievance that Dyantyi has unilaterally acted when deciding to turn down the latest bid to have him removed without the input of other MPs.
His continued stay as the chairperson gives Mkhwebane enough reason to challenge his decision in court, in what could add to the mountain of court cases and controversy that marred this inquiry.
Perhaps the most serious among them are allegations that the late ANC MP Tina Joemat-Pettersson, who was also a member of the committee, attempted to solicit a bribe of about R600 000 from Mkhwebane’s husband.
The amount was to be apparently shared by Joemat-Pettersson, Dyantyi and ANC Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina to make the Mkhwebane inquiry go away.
These allegations are too serious to simply be wished away.
Both Majodina and Dyantyi have vehemently denied the allegations, while Joemat-Pettersson died soon after these claims emerged. Her cause of death has not yet been disclosed to the public.
The credibility of the inquiry Dyantyi chairs will continue to be questioned until all these allegations are answered.
That the law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating them have yet to give an update does not help the process.
Dyantyi may have refused the application for his recusal and distanced himself from the allegations, but the true test of this decision will be when Mkhwebane approaches the court, which she has hinted at doing.
Whatever the outcome of these processes when the dust has finally settled, the credibility of the people’s Parliament must remain intact.
Cape Times