Herman Mashaba, the head of ActionSA, has been vindicated by the findings of suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane over claims of mismanagement in the City of Johannesburg.
This after the Pretoria high court declared on Tuesday that Mkhwebane’s conclusions were “illegal, unconstitutional, and invalid.”
In a statement, Mashaba expressed relief, stressing that the high court’s ruling signals the conclusion of a lengthy and frivolous legal battle.
“This ruling concludes a lengthy legal battle to clear my identity, during which I was willing to challenge the claims in court and in public. “Today, I am vindicated by the ruling, which proves that I always acted ethically and legally during my time as mayor of Johannesburg,” Mashaba stated.
“Before she was suspended, public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s report on my time as executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg erroneously concluded that I exercised undue political influence by unlawfully and irregularly entering the procurement space and interfering with and influencing the awarding of a grant in violation of national legislation and regulations. This is not true, and the Supreme Court has concurred.”
Mashaba stated that he is not shocked by the verdict, as Mkhwebane has a history of failing to defend her work in court.
According to him, Mkhwebane has yet to win a lawsuit defending her work, which is currently being investigated as part of Section 194’s parliamentary probe regarding her eligibility to keep office.
“While we are pleased with this outcome, we are not surprised, given that advocate Mkhwebane has not won a significant court case defending her work since assuming office,” Mashaba said.
Advocate Mkhwebane has even been criticized by South Africa’s highest court, which questioned her motivations and legal knowledge. This is the latest in a laundry list of negative court rulings against her in South Africa.”
Mashaba says that Mkhwebane used her position to interfere in political things and expresses his eagerness for her term to expire.
“We look forward to the end of her reign of terror later this year and to the appointment of a public protector who can carry out their duties with credibility and without fear or favor by the legislature.”
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