South Africa’s Ombudsman, Busisiwe Mkhwebane on Thursday took her legal battle to the Constitutional Court to seek permission to appeal a previous unfavourable court judgement against her.
The unfavourable decision by the North Gauteng High Court ruled that her case against President Cyril Ramaphosa concerning his African National Congress (ANC) presidential campaign funding three years ago lacked substance and was, therefore, dismissed with costs.
That high court ruling, which set aside her report into the matter, said it found no substance in her assertions that the Ramaphosa campaign was flawed for failing to disclose sources of its ANC presidential campaign funds.
The public protector, appointed by former President Jacob Zuma, told the court that she believed Ramaphosa had a duty to disclose donations raised for the 2017 campaign.
Mkhwebane’s report alleged Ramaphosa had received a donation of US$30,000 from a private firm named Bosasa to help him fund his party’s presidential campaign. She deemed this as an illegal activity.
However, the North Gauteng High Court sitting in Johannesburg in March this year disagreed with her accusations, setting aside her report and trashed her decision to investigate the 2017 party campaign for money laundering at the same time.
The court also ordered the public protector to pay punitive costs for the application.
Mkhwebane’s Thursday appearance at the Constitutional Court was her last-ditch attempt to salvage her professional reputation which has suffered setbacks lately.
This was due to multiple rebukes she has received from courts over her poor choice decisions to prosecute cases which have nothing to do with her mandate as Ombudsman, according to her critics.
The critics accuse her for allowing herself to be used by a bitter Zuma in his low-key battles against the man who succeeded him from the state and party presidency following a recall over corruption charges in February 2018.
The appeal case continues.
NM/jn/APA