NEW Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane will go to court today to defend the much-anticipated state capture report.
Mkhwebane has made an about-turn on the matter, saying she would prioritise the report.
Her second day in office could be described as dramatic as Thuli Madonsela’s last day when President Jacob Zuma lodged a last-minute court interdict to prevent her from releasing the report.
The report on state capture has led to a wrangle between opposition parties and Speaker Baleka Mbete for its safekeeping.
Parliament confirmed yesterday that the report had been returned to Mkhwebane, to the anger of the official opposition.
DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said Mbete needed to keep the report until the cases were finalised in court. Madonsela decided, after seeking legal advice, not to make the report public, but sent it to Parliament for safekeeping.
She had also indicated Mkhwebane would be in court to defend the report.
If the court decides at some stage that the report be released, Mkhwebane would have to make it public and speak on its contents.
Zuma and Madonsela were locked in a dispute on Friday as he felt he was not given an opportunity to respond to the evidence of some of the witnesses, who allegedly included a number of ministers.
However, Madonsela had stuck to her guns that Zuma had failed to respond to the list of questions sent to him in March.
Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen lodged his own application last Friday to interdict Madonsela, but the matter was postponed to November 1.
The parties received a preservation order that the report not be tampered with. Madonsela had also made it clear last week that it was a final report after she had signed on it.
This meant it would not be changed, and its contents will remain the same. But Zuma still protests he wants the opportunity to interrogate the witnesses.
Mkhwebane and her spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi could not be reached for comment yesterday.