Cape Town – Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been summoned to appear in Parliament to explain her statements in recent weeks over the Vrede Diary Farm report.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services decided to urgently call Mkhwebane to appear before the committee to explain comments she made about not having the capacity or financial resources to investigate information relating to the Gupta leaks.
The committee’s chairperson Dr Mathole Motshekga said the committee was "extremely concerned" with her comments and needed "clarity on what exactly she is trying to convey".
"We have further noted with grave concern allegations of her office suppressing some evidence. This type of allegations only tarnishes the good image of the office of the Public Protector," Motshekga said.
READ: Public Protector's Vrede report 'an insult to intelligence of all South Africans' - SAFTU
Following the release of the Public Protector’s report this week, it was met with criticism as it felt short of expectations.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said: "It is frankly mind boggling how it could be that, after an almost four-year investigation into the Vrede dairy project... Advocate Mkhwebane found only that the Free State Department of Agriculture contravened the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
"There has been a large amount of evidence of grand corruption and money laundering relating to Vrede that is already in the public domain," he said.
"Yet, none of this seems to have been investigated by the Public Protector," Maimane said.
