Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane is quite clearly a fish out of water, and has no idea what powers our Constitution grants her office.
That’s actually the kinder of the two options we are faced with, because the other is that she intentionally overstepped the mark at the behest of outside influences.
A few weeks ago we showed you how she had a history of being chums with the Guptas (HERE), and perhaps that’s part of the reason South Africans are so enraged at her latest misstep.
Times LIVE reports:
Mkhwebane’s decision to back down on defending her recommendation that the Reserve Bank do much more to focus on keeping the currency stable has South Africans in a fury, saying it shows she didn’t know what she was doing…
Her ideas led to the rand plummeting…
On Monday‚ she said in her court papers that she didn’t know she didn’t have the power to convey a “mandatory review” by Parliament to change to the Constitution.
That’s all best case scenario, as we mentioned, and it’s an explanation that doesn’t sit well with many:
Financial analyst at Nomura‚ Peter Attald Montalto said: “She was probably instructed by higher powers to order changes to the Reserve Bank’s mandate. It is quite simply bizarre that so much damage can be done and then not even backed up with the decency to defend the report.
The Democratic Alliance spokesman on justice, Glynnis Breytenbach, said: “There seem to be only one of two possible explanations for this travesty – either Mkhwebane’s understanding of the Constitution and the law is so inadequate that she could make such a blatantly flawed recommendation‚ or she consciously did so in order to further the interests of outside parties.
“While the first explanation is gravely concerning‚ the second far more sinister explanation is something which, if true, should concern us all.”
One more scathing assessment? Sure:
[Financial analyst Karin] Richards asked: “How did we end up with a Public Protector who issues irresponsible rulings‚ wrecks markets‚ backs down‚ but still defends her own stupidity?”
Then there’s the matter of who foots the costs of the court case brought against her:
She has said she will pay costs
However‚ it means the taxpayer is ultimately paying for court action‚ in which the finance minister‚ Parliament and Reserve Bank all went to court to have her report reviewed and set aside.
Thuli Madonsela said repeatedly during her tenure that the Office of the Public Protector was underfunded, so digging into those coffers to cover the costs of a case brought on by Mkhwebane’s incompetence is just squandering resources.
Remember when we had someone in office who actually cared for the concerns of ordinary South African citizens? Those were the days…
