The public protector has often protested about the lack of funds made available to her office by the Treasury, arguing — as in the Vrede Dairy Farm case before the Pretoria high court — that these resource constraints have hampered her ability to effectively investigate matters. This would appear a legitimate concern as it is echoed by other chapter nine institutions. Indeed, Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, also lamented the lack of resources for her office.

In fact, Madonsela appealed to the Treasury for an additional R3m in early 2016 to enable her to properly investigate and conclude the state capture report. She was granted R1.5m and finalised the report in October 2016, just before leaving office. Its remedial action included the establishment of the judicial commission of inquiry now headed by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, to further investigate and report on issues raised in that investigation...

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