Africa-Press – South-Africa. A former senior Public Protector employee had the sense that there was “open communication” between the State Security Agency (SSA) and the Office of the Public Protector during Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s time as head of the institution.
The spy agency – Mkhwebane’s employer before she became Public Protector – has cropped up consistently in the testimony before the Section 194 Committee charged with determining whether Mkhwebane is guilty of misconduct and incompetence.
On Tuesday, former Public Protector provincial investigations manager, Reginald Ndou, continued his testimony, which was cut short last week due to connectivity problems.
DA MP Mimmy Gondwe asked if Ndou thought the Office of the Public Protector maintained close links with the SSA.
Ndou said:
Ndou said he was involved in a project to put together a case management system for the Office of the Public Protector – and, at “some point”, the SSA wanted to do it for them.
As an example, which suggested such close communications, he cited that “somebody from SSA” was on the interview panel when Baldwin Neshunzi was appointed as security head.
ANC MP Gijimani Skosana asked whether this was unusual, and Ndou said it was.
Gondwe asked whether he could name the chief financial officer seconded from the SSA to the Office of the Public Protector, but Ndou couldn’t.
Puppet Protector? 6 examples of how State Security Agency ran Mkhwebane’s office
News24 on Monday revealed that it was Vusumuzi Menzelwa.
Contrary to the assertion of advocate Dali Mpofu SC, who is representing Mkhwebane, that she requested the secondment as a “cost-cutting measure”, the Office of the Public Protector has indicated that it repaid the SSA.
On Monday, former Public Protector chief operations officer Basani Baloyi testified that Mkhwebane wanted to be addressed as “madam”, that she expected employees to bow down to her “quite literally”, and that they had to stand up when she entered a room.
During Mpofu’s cross-examination, it emerged that Baloyi didn’t mean Mkhwebane expected them to bow down literally.
Mpofu asked Ndou about what he labelled the “bizarre statements” that Mkhwebane had to be addressed as “madam”.
Ndou said he had never heard of it. During his time, she was often addressed as “PP”, like her predecessors.
He also didn’t know about having to bow to Mkhwebane, and said employees also stood up when her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, entered the room.
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