Durban - As the legal problems engulfing the Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane continues to divide the nation, one organisation believes that Mkhwebane is being “bullied” through an “untransformed judiciary”.
Durban-based Federation of Radical Economic Transformation (FRET) told a media briefing in Durban on Tuesday that the language of Judge Sulet Potterill to describe Mkhwebane’s findings against Gordhan on Monday show that the courts are still dominated by people who are not suitable to administer justice.
The federation’s president, Malusi Zondi, said as a result of that, they are pleading with South Africans to support Mkhwebane and those who can afford to donate money to the fund, do so.
The fund is meant to raise R900 000 to foot her legal bills after the Constitutional Court ruled that she must personally pay the legal cost of the ABSA/Bankorp matter.
“We note the abuse of courts and process of judicial review by people who were found wanting by Public Protector. This can be traced from the current stance of challenging every report that is released by the office of the Public Protector which is under the leadership of Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane,”Zondi said.
President of the Federation of Radical Economic Transformation, Malusi Zondi, says they stand with Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Video: Sihle Mavuso/Politics.
Additionally, Zondi said they want the “bullying to end” as this threatens the existence of a chapter nine institution that has helped to hold errant civil servants to account.
“We wish to call all the democracy loving citizens to defend the Office of the Public Protector as the untransformed judiciary continues to fall into the trap of anti-constitutional democracy elements. We question the court ruling that ordered the public protector to pay R900 000 as cost. This is nothing but absurdity which indicates that our judicial system is still untransformed and it still has some footprints of previous dispensation as most of the current incumbent judges served as judges before 1994,” Zondi alleged.
Climbing down when asked probing questions about their support for Mkhwebane and the lambasting of the judiciary as untransformed, Zondi said they are not racist by raising concerns.
“We are for RET (radical economic transformation) but it seems like white people are more superior than black people, we don’t know. We are not for race but as FRET we are very clear that we support this cause… But the statement of the judge to say that report was nonsensical, what were you saying? You are deliberately saying she is not relevant.”