SUSPENDED Public Protector (PP) Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane wished there would be no adverse findings in the Vrede Dairy Farm report.
Former provincial investigations and integration unit head at the PP office, Lufuno Ndou, told the Parliament’s Section 194 Committee on Thursday, 18 August that Mkhwebane said this after a meeting that discussed the progress of the Vrede Farm investigation.
He said Advocate Erika Cilliers presented her report to the task team in August 2017.
He said she indicated she wanted to look at the Gupta Leaks as part of evidence.
“After the meeting Mkhwebane indicated to me that as far as she was concerned, Cilliers was doing the bidding of the Democratic Alliance in this matter. Her words to me were that personally she would be unhappy if there were adverse findings in this matter,” said Ndou.
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He said he found Mkhwebane’s words surprising. He said the PP was bound by law and the Constitution to be impartial.
Ndou said to him, Mkhwebane meant she would be happy if investigators would disregard what the evidence said.
He said he did not follow Mkhwebane’s wishes.
“I understood it to be more a desire than an instruction,” said Ndou.
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Previous witnesses have told the committee that Mkhwebane gave them an instruction to remove the names of former Free State premier Ace Magashule and former MEC for agriculture Mosebenzi Zwane from the report.
Ndou denied that he was harassed, intimidated or victimised by either Mkhwebane or former CEO Vussy Mahlangu.
