Auditor-General to Investigate Public Protector's Legal Cost After R147 M in Fees Raises Alarm Bells

• The Auditor-General will be keeping a close eye on the Office of the Public Protectors' legal spending
• This comes as the Section inquiry into Busisiwe Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office revealed that the office spent R147 million on legal fees
• Political parties have called for the office to be investigated as Mkwebane's dismal track record doesn't warrant the exorbitant fees

CAPE TOWN - The Office of the Public Protector has landed on the radar of the Auditor-General after Busisiwe Mkhwebane's impeachment inquiry revealed exuberant legal fees.

Evidence before Mkhwebane's inquiry into her fitness to hold office revealed that the public protector's office spent R147 million on legal fees.

Questions have been raised about the quality of the legal services provided, given Mkhwebane's dismal litigation track record. The alleged misappropriation of the legal services' budgets to pay spin doctors has also raised alarm bells.

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It is also alleged that counsel was appointed based on political affiliation. News24 reported that Seanego Attorneys have been handed the most briefs to date and paid over R55 million for their services. Out of the R55 million, advocate Dali Mpofu billed R12 million.

These discrepancies have pushed some political parties to call for a forensic investigation of the office's spending. The Auditor-General announced that it would pay close attention to the legal fees in future audits. According to EWN, the acting public protector's spokesperson Ndili Msoki said the office was reviewing its processes, particularly those related to the procurement of legal services.

South Africans react to the Auditor-General's scrutiny of the public protector's office

@sechabachippa claimed:

"It's so evident that she's a hired gun for the RET gang that it's not even funny. So much for the clean audits that were making rounds."

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@NtombiZw added:

"Busisiwe focuses more on protecting her huge EGO as opposed to protecting the Public!"

@LubeloVan asserted:

"The most hated black woman in South Africa."

Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s office spent over R147m in legal fees, inquiry hears

In another story, Briefly News reported that the Public Protector’s office has spent more than R147 million on legal fees since 2016. The details were disclosed during suspended Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s parliamentary inquiry into her fitness to hold office.

The senior manager of legal services in the office, Neels van der Merwe, gave testimony and said that in the 2016/2017 period, the legal fees paid amounted to R6.4 million of the R13 million set aside. However, in 2019/2020, the legal costs increased dramatically with an over-expenditure of more than R48 million.

Source: Briefly News