Mkhwebane’s husband tells Yengeni to reconsider taking Mbalula back to initiation school

The husband of suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has called out ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula for talking about his wife at party conferences.

Mkhwebane and her husband, David Skosana, joined the National Press Club yesterday to clear issues regarding the Section 194 inquiry and to tell her side of the story after being suspended for more than 13 months, following what she called the propaganda campaign of deliberate misinterpretation of the facts against her.

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“For him to go to the ANC conferences talking about the public protector is disgusting,” said Skosana, who came into the limelight after bribe-soliciting allegations.

“It is disturbing to hear the SG of the ANC talking about my wife. It’s too personal now.”

Skosana blamed ANC politician Tony Yengeni and said he must reconsider taking Mbalula back to initiation school.

“That man does not have manners. If you want to make it personal, you must come to me, leave the advocate alone,” he said.

Mbalula ‘wet behind the ears’

Skosana said Mbalula was still wet behind the ears.

“If you don’t stop doing that, there are consequences in everything. I am not scared of him,” he said.

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Skosana asked how it was okay for a committee person to solicit a bribe from him.

“In the past, the apartheid government used courts to deal with people. What we have today [are] people who have decided to deal with anybody who [is] against the establishment,” he added.

Skosana said he was surprised the recordings he made weren’t played in the media.

“They talk about hearsay. I was sitting with Tina [Joemat-Pettersson] and I am the witness,” he said.

Mkhwebane said they have been under tremendous pressure and stress as a family.

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“When I was still in the office, after issuing the rotary report, there was malicious damage to my property and we had to move,” she said.

Mkhwebane ‘followed home’

Mkhwebane said there was also an incident where she was followed home on her way back from Bronkhorstspruit. She said in March, she was stopped from finishing her evidence on the stand.

“The entire crisis was triggered by the deputy public protector, when she wrote me a letter out of the blue saying PPSA [Public Protector South Africa] would no longer fund my legal representation from 1 April. Unfortunately, this was not an April Fool’s joke,” she said.

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Mkhwebane said her new legal team needed time to understand the case and the committee refused. She said first she was silenced, then her husband was approached by a committee member to solicit a bribe of R600 000 to make the case go away. She said no-one questioned why she was being mistreated.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za