Acting PP: Demands for immediate conclusion of Phala Phala investigation unfair

Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka says it’s unfair of political parties to demand that she concludes the Phala Phala investigation immediately or face legal action.

Opposition parties marched to the Public Protector’s offices last week.

They complained that the investigation into the theft of foreign exchange from the president’s Limpopo farm, had not been concluded within the prescribed 30 days.

But in a response to the aggrieved parties, Gcaleka says the office has never been able to meet that deadline.

In a 13-page response to aggrieved political parties, Gcaleka says it would be imprudent for her to commit to a deadline to complete the high-profile investigation.

Much of Gcaleka’s response to the parties is also contained in an affidavit to the Western Cape High Court, in which she refutes a claim by her senior, Mkhwebane, that the Phala Phala investigation is being hindered by her absence.

Gcaleka says the office is investigating eight other cases involving a breach of the executive code of ethics, which were lodged before the four complaints about Phala Phala.

She says six months is a more reasonable time frame to conduct such an investigation, in line with what Mkhwebane herself told Parliament in 2017.

Gcaleka says no Public Protector has ever completed an investigation into the breach of the ethics code within the prescribed time frame, as is currently being demanded of her.

The Nkandla investigation took over two years to complete.

Despite the complexities of the matter, Gcaleka says the investigating team is working around the clock to conclude the probe within a reasonable time.

-EWN

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