CAPE TOWN - Parliament's justice committee will have to explain to the National Assembly why it's wasted thousands of rands on a failed process to recruit a new deputy Public Protector.following last month's interviews because the process had been tainted by conflicts of interest between Economic Freedom Fighters MP Busisiwe Mkhwebane and two of the candidates.The post became vacant in October when Kholeka Gcaleka was appointed the Public Protector.
Former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane saw no harm in her interviewing candidates for the office she once headed and despite connections to two of the candidates., saying she could remain objective, African National Congress MPs insisted the process should continue while a legal opinion was sought.
On Tuesday, that opinion suggested Mkhwebane should have been replaced on the committee by another member of her party. Chairperson of Parliament's justice committee, Bulelani Magwanishe, said the process would have to start from scratch. "It's important for issues of transparency and accountability, Parliament has already spent money. It has transported people, some of them booked them accommodation, so money was spent, so we need to account in detail."Mkhwebane, meanwhile, said she doesn't accept Parliament's legal opinion and insisted she would have remained objective in the deliberations on a suitable candidate.