Mkhwebane could oppose Zuma’s ‘state capture’ report review

Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane will oppose President Jacob Zuma’s legal bid to take her predecessor’s report into state capture on review, although this could change, depending on legal advice.

Briefing the media on her first 100 days in office in Pretoria on Thursday, Mkhwebane said, to comply with court rules, she had filed a notice to challenge Zuma’s application.

“In the notice‚ I clearly indicated that I will consider my position once I have been advised by senior counsel on the legalities of the basis of the application‚” she said.

“I expect a comprehensive legal opinion from senior counsel in the second week of this month.”

ALSO READ: Mashaba cans ‘despised’ R1b Jozi@Work programme 

In his founding papers, Zuma asks the North Gauteng High Court to review and set aside remedial actions contained in the State of Capture report, in particular the recommendation to establish a judicial commission of inquiry to be headed by a judge solely chosen by the head of the Constitutional Court.

Mkhwebane said her first six weeks in office after succeeding Thuli Madonsela had been “bumpy”, but not unexpected, because of the heightened public interest in the Chapter 9 institution.