Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has appointed Advocate Busisiwe Joyce Mkhwebane as the new Public Protector for a seven year term, the presidency said on Thursday.
Mkhwebane will take office on October 15, taking over from Thuli Madonsela.
Her nomination by an ad hoc parliamentary committee was endorsed by the National Assembly a month ago, with the support of most opposition parties but with the notable exception of the Democratic Alliance.
The DA has said that Mkhwebane’s stint as an immigration officer in China for the department of home affairs suggested she was a spy and this made her unsuitable to head a chapter 9 institution that needed to be independent.
Mkhwebane, an advocate with 20 years of experience in law, rubbished the party’s allegation that she was on the payroll of the State Security Agency.
The presidency said Zuma wished to thank Madonsela for her services and wished Mkhwebane well in the post.
Madonsela is racing against time to complete an investigation into allegations of state capture by the wealthy Gupta family and was expected to interview Zuma this week as part of the probe.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu paid warm tribute to Madonsela whose relationship with the ruling party was often fractious when she delivered adverse findings against key figures, including Zuma in the Nkandla scandal.
“The office of the ANC chief whip also salutes the outgoing Public Protector, Adv Thuli Madonsela, for her sterling and laudable job since her appointment in 2009. She has undoubtedly infused renewed energy on this critical Chapter 9 institution, ensuring that acts of malfeasance, corruption and other unethical conduct are exposed and dealt with. The institutions of government are today stronger because of her unwavering determination,” Mthembu’s office said.
“South Africans owe her a debt of gratitude for the outstanding work during her tenure.”
African News Agency