SACP wants direct communication from Mkhwebane

Despite her threats to take legal action against South African Communist Party (SACP) second deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila over his scathing comments about her capacity, the SACP claims that it has not received any inquiry from Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, either asking for clarification or saying anything regarding Mapaila’s comments.

MEDIA STATEMENT: PP @AdvBMkhwebane challenges #Mapaila to prove his claims or face possible legal action pic.twitter.com/RucNjYBTqW

— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) June 27, 2019

According to EWN, Mapaila told delegates at a National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union policy conference on Wednesday that Mkhwebane should not allow herself to be used as a “hired gun of African National Congress factions”.

He went on to allege that there are groups running a campaign against President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership and that Mkhwebane’s office was being used by these mystery groups.

Mapaila further said the SACP was ready to fight against the influences in the Public Protector’s office, just as it did the Nationalist Party under apartheid, reports EWN.

Mkhwebane then responded by challenging Mapaila to produce evidence to support his claims or retract his statements and apologise if he could not provide said evidence.

When contacted for comment, the SACP’s national spokesperson and head of communications, Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo, forwarded the Citizen a statement that the SACP had issued on the matter.

“The SACP will deal with the substance of the matter as and when Mkhwebane approaches the party, save for the following. As Mapaila said when addressing the Nehawu National Policy Conference in Boksburg on Wednesday, 26 June 2019, the Communist Party was the first political organisation that was banned in this country and deprived of the right to freedom of speech and other freedoms that we fought hard for, and which are, as a result, now enshrined in our country’s Constitution,” read part of the statement.

The party then vowed that it would not allow any person to repeat that history.

“The SACP unwaveringly reiterates its position that no organ of state, including any Chapter 9 institution, is above the law. Any person entrusted with constitutional authority must be held to account if that person is found by a court of law to have acted in a serious manner unconstitutionally and unlawfully in the exercise of that authority. The incumbent public protector is absolutely no exception. As a state organ created to support our constitutional democracy, the public protector was established to ensure that those who are entrusted with state authority uphold rather than violate the Constitution and other law of the republic,” added the party.

The SACP concluded by reiterating its call for parliament to hold an inquiry into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.

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