Public protector will not oppose Zuma bid to stop release of Gupta report
Mkhwebane’s stance leaves the decision in the hands of the court and means it will be up to opposition parties that have applied to join the court case to argue for the report’s release
Newly appointed public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said on Friday she would not oppose the interdict application by President Jacob Zuma to prevent the release of the state capture report. In a significant shift from the attitude of her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, Mkhwebane said she had also withdrawn her opposition to the interdict application by Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen. Mkhwebane’s stance leaves the decision in the hands of the court and means it will be up to opposition parties that have applied to join the court case to argue for the report’s release. The state capture investigation was to look into whether there was an improper relationship between Zuma, other state officials and the Gupta family. In correspondence with the public protector’s office, it emerged that Zuma was implicated. Mkhwebane's stance to the highly contested report was widely viewed as the political test for her independence. While all political parties, except the DA, voted in h...
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