Busisiwe Mkhwebane: PP Opens Crimen Injuria Case Against Mbalula
- Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has opened a case of crimen injuria against Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula
- The news follows a tweet by Mbalula in which he referred to Mkhwebane as a 'hired gun'
- Mkhwebane is currently facing possible impeachment with 267 Parliamentary votes needed to remove her from office
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Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has reportedly opened a case of crimen injuria (an act of unlawfully, intentionally and seriously impairing the dignity of another) against Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula. This follows Mbalula's tweet where he referred to Mkhwebane as a 'hired gun'.
Through Mkhwebane's office, it was revealed that the case was opened at the Brooklyn police station. Mkhwebane is at the heart of infighting in the ruling party as a Parliamentary vote on her fitness to hold office is coming up.
Reports say there needs to be a two-thirds majority vote in favour of removing Mkhwebane for her to be impeached. This equates to 267 votes.
Source: Getty Images
Speaking to TimesLIVE, Public Protector spokesperson Oupa Segalwe confirmed that they went to the police shortly after Mbalula's tweet on Sunday. Segalwe said that Mbalula and other ministers who had made remarks about the PP have been reported to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A report by News24 stated that the ANC seems to be divided on the Mkhwebane matter. The report continued by saying that Mbalula is very active on Twitter and known for sharing his opinions.
Briefly.co.za previously reported on the controversial tweet by Mbalula. His tweet referring to the Public Protector as a 'hired gun' follows reports that Mkhwebane could be impeached due to misconduct after an independent review panel's finding was handed to Speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise.
Mbalula's tweet gained tons of responses from South African Twitter users, many of whom agreed with his sentiments. Below are just a few of the responses Mbalula's tweet received from SA social media users:
@MookiMasuku wrote:
"This is so irresponsible Fiks, even if you wanted to protect your R120k per month salary, this is grossly thoughtless."
@EPristo said:
"I do hope the MPs make their decisions based on the information before them, not because of the side of the ANC faction they belong to."
@illegaladverts tweeted in response:
"Both of you are symptoms of a far wider issue. How about you try and do your actual job properly (for which you are handsomely rewarded by the SA taxpayer)? BTW you appointed the current PP so what's not to like? The vacuous leadership in @GovernmentZA is disastrous!"
@ntsakosnr0 stated:
"I understand the minister's frustration with the Public Protector, she has a finding against him. The minister stance's is not the stance of the branches of the ANC but his own personal views, and we should all respect his views as views, not facts."
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Source: Briefly News
