By Thys Khiba
Pretoria – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) reacted to the High Court judgement on the process to remove the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane by suggesting that it is unconstitutional to disallow Mkhwebane the right for legal representation in a process that included a Judge.
According to the EFF, the involvement of a Judge in a Parliamentary internal process undermine the separation of powers and therefore unconstitutional.
“The EFF emphatically agrees that disallowing the Public Protector the right for legal representation in a process that included a Judge and senior prosecutors is unconstitutional,” EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said.
The EFF has also reminded the Parliamentary Office Bearers that they are not a Parliament and cannot appeal the high court judgement without a Parliamentary resolution and mandate.
“We will now write to the Speaker of Parliament to demand that she must not appeal the Western Cape High Court judgement, particularly that she has no mandate or power to do so outside of Parliamentary guidance,” Pambo said.
The EFF confirmed that they will oppose any presiding officer’s attempt to challenge the judgement without the Parliament taking that resolution of opposing the judgement.
“The Presiding Officers must admit that the processes followed thus far are unconstitutional and should therefore stop the activities of the committee established to hound the Public Protector.”
The EFF continues to indicate that those who have problems with findings, rulings, and remedial actions of Mkhwebane must approach courts for judicial review.
The EFF believes that hounding Mkhwebane and putting her to a long litigious process will deprive her office of the necessary attention it deserves. The EFF said that the office of the Public Protector is to protect vulnerable South Africans, and people whom cannot afford to approach Courts for justice.
The EFF has also accused the African National Congress (ANC) of forming, what they call, unholy alliance with the Democratic Alliance (DA) to destroy the office of the Public Protector.
At the time of publishing this article, Free State Central News couldn’t get a view of the ANC and DA. @fscentralnews
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