Mkhwebane marks 3 years in office, vows to work without fear, favour or prejudice

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has vowed to continue doing her work without fear, favour or prejudice as she marked three years in office on Tuesday.

The Chapter 9 institution shared via social media that it had been a challenging, yet rewarding journey for Mkhwebane to “see the lives of people at grassroots level being changed for the better after contending with the effects of maladministration”.

To date, the Office of the Public Protector has dealt with more than 50,000 complaints, of which 70% were finalised.

In addition, it issued more than 150 investigation reports covering various themes, including executive ethics, maladministration, procurement irregularities, irregularities in the appointment of staff and the plight of whistleblowers, to name a few.

“We, as the Public Protector, will continue to do our work without fear, favour or prejudice, ensuring that the people of South Africa are treated fairly,” Mkhwebane said.

Things have not been rosy for the head of the Chapter 9 institution who previously said she felt she was under attack for daring to investigate “those who are seen by some as paragons of virtue”, News24 earlier reported.

Mkhwebane has faced criticism for some of her reports, with some saying she was “incompetent” and that her credibility had “plummeted”.

She previously said her office was going through “testing times” and that it faced attacks from every angle, including the “most unfair reporting in the media”.

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