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By Bernice Maune

Journalist


LISTEN: Mkhwebane’s spokesperson explains why she met with presidency

The public protector had a meeting with the presidency and state security agency, which she has defended as compulsory for her investigation into a bank bailout involving the Reserve Bank.


The public protector’s spokesperson, Cleopatra Mosana has denied in an interview with 702 that the handwriting found on a note taken from a meeting with the presidency and SSA was hers.

The meeting was held to investigate and note discussions on the CIEX report which contained information on a bank bailout issued to Bankorp, a company which eventually bought Absa. A loan worth over R1 billion was issued by the Reserve Bank to Bankorp at a lower interest rate during the apartheid era.

“Unless you can prove beyond reasonable doubt, that is not the handwriting of the public protector. It is not. You would note that during a meeting investigators take notes so those were parts of the scribble notes during the investigation,” said Mosana.

Mosana said that reports Mkhwebane had met the presidency under ‘sinister’ circumstances were met to discredit her.

“I would not intend to answer to the allegations of the Reserve Bank as you know that matter will be heard on court on 23 September. I will limit myself to the wrong narratives which are trying to create public mistrust in terms of why did the public protector meet the presidency.  She can meet anybody during an investigation and that’s why she met with the presidency.

“If you remember we are dealing with a CIEX report and it issues section 79 to three parties including government so when she wrote correspondence to the presidency the presidency then requested to meet with Adv Mkhwebane to get issues of clarity. So it’s not a matter that this meeting there was something sinister…”

Listen to the full interview below

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