Johannesburg - Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane is taking the DA to court for claiming that she was a spy.
Mkhwebane is taking legal action against the DA, MP Glynnis Breytenbach and Werner Horn for accusing her of being a spy and being on the payroll of the State Security Agency while she was employed by the Home Affairs Department in China.
The comments were made last year, at a press briefing, after Mkhwebane was recommend by Parliament to be appointed as the Public Protector.
The DA was the one only party that opposed Mkhwebane's appointment to the office in 2016 based on the fact that it believed she was not the best candidate for the job.
The office of the Public Protector said on Friday that the purpose of the lawsuit was to force Breytenbach, Horn and the DA to issue an apology for making the claims - which Mkhwebane said are false.
Mkhwebane's office also hinted that she might also claim for legal damage for the damage caused by the allegations.
The DA recently backed a proposal to initiate proceedings for the removal of Mkhwebane from office. But the proceedings did not get far as ANC MPs in the Justice and Correctional Services Committee used their muscle blocked the proposal from being approved.