Extract:

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first order of business after the elections should surely be to make sure Busisiwe Mkhwebane is relieved of her job. She needs to go. She should not be allowed to stay a day longer in her post. Every hour, every minute, she stays in the job she tarnishes the good name of what has been the finest of the chapter nine institutions. Otherwise she will do enormous damage to the country or even reverse whatever changes Ramaphosa has initiated since assuming office. Her misguided decisions and findings have the force of the law. They’re binding.

What’s so scary is that she doesn’t seem to be that bright; like a child in a candy shop she’s besotted by the untrammelled powers she wields. She’s therefore almost oblivious of the damage that she can cause. Power, especially when it’s unfettered, is most useful to society when applied with care and circumspection.

The country has been left stunned by the revelations at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture. But were it not for Thuli Madonsela’s foresight this commission would not have seen the light of day and these misdeeds would have remained buried. Madonsela used her powers for the good of the country and knew that her successor was likely to cover up this malfeasance, so she effectively removed it from Mkhwebane’s purview by recommending a commission of inquiry chaired by a judge who’d be appointed by the chief justice to investigate these matters. One would have hoped that parliament would have sought Madonsela’s opinion about Mkhwebane’s character before appointing her to such a crucial portfolio. Not that they would have listened. The DA’s allegation that Mkhwebane was a spy was ignored. She denies the allegation and has threatened to sue. And so she got the job courtesy of the ANC and the EFF. Initially, the EFF seemed embarrassed by their vote, but they have since warme...

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