Cape Town - A senior manager currently employed in the Office of the Public Protector has contradicted evidence given by previous witnesses who claimed they had been intimidated and harassed by suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Public Protector executive manager Futana Tebele took the stand at the inquiry into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office and told evidence leader advocate Ncumisa Mayosi that he had never been intimidated or victimised by Mkhwebane.
On Tuesday, the committee heard from former PPS chief executive Vussy Mahlangu, who denied a claim that he harassed, victimised and intimidated employees in the public protector’s office and said that all the correct processes had been followed in all cases.
Mahlangu, who resigned in 2020, denied that the disciplinary actions he undertook were at the behest of, or in consultation with, Mkhwebane. He said he had been in charge of the administration and Mkhwebane did not interfere.
Tebele, a lawyer, was the fourth witness who had worked in Mkhwebane’s office to testify and said that he’d known Mkhwebane since their university days.
He took the committee through the set up of the public protector’s private office team. He said the private office referred to the office where the PPSA’s executive authority was vested.
He said the private office was distinct from the office of the accounting officer and that all the staff supporting the public protector and the deputy public protector were part of that office.
He said he was responsible for co-ordinating meetings of the executive committee of Exco. He was also in charge of quality assurance of documentation and reports submitted to the private office. He testified about the strained relationship between the quality assurance team leader Isaac Matlawe and Molelekoa.
Tebele said Matlawe had been unhappy about reporting to Molelekoa, who had no legal qualifications.
He said the situation worsened when at one point Matlawe missed work during a weekend when Mkhwebane had requested quality assurance assistance with respect to the controversial CIEX/Bankorp/SA Reserve Bank report.
This incident led to Matlawe receiving an “audi letter” from Molelekoa asking him to explain why he should not be disciplined for misconduct.
He said Mkhwebane wanted the backlog of outstanding investigations cleared and because of this had cracked the whip with regard to investigators who repeatedly missed deadlines.
At the end, Tebele’s evidence in chief, advocate Mayosi, showed him a text message sent to now former PPSA chief operating officer Basani Baloyi from Mkwhebane, saying that Tebele was not to be trusted.
Tebele testified that yesterday was the first time he had seen the message and that as far as he was concerned he was a trustworthy person and had always been.
Mayosi told committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi that she had shown Tebele the message before he began his virtual testimony to warn him not to be surprised if it came up.
When Mkhwebane’s representative, advocate Dali Mpofu, resumed his cross-examination, he returned to the issue and Tebele said he still believed Mkhwebane trusted him, and that she would never speak ill of him.
The hearings continue this morning with evidence from PPSA head of security Baldwin Neshunzhi.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za