Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, recently booted from a Chapter 9 institution, clawed her way back to Parliament as a newly sworn-in Member of the National Assembly, under the banner of the far-left Marxist–Leninist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
In pictures: Busisiwe Mkhwebane sworn in as EFF MP
Friday’s proceedings at the Speaker’s Boardroom in Parliament came a day after the ousted Public Protector set South Africa’s political corridors ablaze when she announced her decision to join the upper ranks of the Red Berets.
“The level at which I was investigating executives, including the president, and knowing exactly where the gaps are in the policies, gives me an advantage of how one can influence policy. At a senior level, I will be of great assistance, but wherever I am deployed, I will make sure that I contribute and change the lives of South Africans,” she told reporters at the time.
Mkhwebane was formally impeached on 12 September 2023.
The vote, which marked the end of an unprecedented impeachment inquiry, saw 318 Members of Parliament (MPs) voting in favour of her impeachment, while 43 voted against it, with one abstention.
Mkhwebane faced impeachment due to allegations of misconduct and incompetence during her tenure as Public Protector. The process began in July 2022 after numerous legal challenges from Mkhwebane.
The process leading to her impeachment was initiated in December 2019, following the adoption of rules for the removal of a Chapter 9 institution head. Despite numerous legal challenges, the Section 194 inquiry into her conduct officially began in July 2022.
The committee ultimately found Mkhwebane guilty of four counts, including victimising staff and misconduct and incompetence in three high-profile investigations.
In the midst of Mkhwebane’s epic return to Parliament, a younger, more progressive successor was anointed into the helm of power. Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, a staunch supporter of President Cyril Ramaphosa, perhaps, to a fault, was recently voted as the new Public Protector.
