Franny Rabkin
21 November 2008
Johannesburg — PRESIDENT Kgalema Motlanthe had "no problem" with making public former speaker Frene Ginwala's report on suspended national director of public prosecutions Vusi Pikoli's fitness to hold office.
The president is set to do so in the next few weeks, government spokesman Themba Maseko said yesterday.
Ginwala's report on Pikoli was sent to Motlanthe earlier this month but has not been released to the public yet.
On November 14 the report was sent to Pikoli in order for him to respond to it.
At a media briefing in Cape Town Maseko said the president was awaiting a response to the report from Pikoli's legal team.
Maseko said that Motlanthe had "given a copy of the report to advocate Pikoli and his attorneys, and he gave them a week to respond to the report and express their views".
Pikoli's lawyer, Aslam Moosajee of Deneys Reitz attorneys, confirmed that the Presidency had asked him to make representations but that he (Moosajee) had asked for more time, until Tuesday, to finalise his submissions. This was agreed to by the president.
Moosajee said Pikoli's submissions had been finalised and will be submitted today.
Maseko said the president will on receipt decide "whether to re-instate advocate Pikoli, and then to release the report to the public. We are looking at another week or two before a final decision is made."
Pikoli was suspended by former president Thabo Mbeki in September last year ostensibly because his relationship with former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla had irretrievably broken down.
But Pikoli has always said that the sole reason for his suspension was to try and stop the impending prosecution of national police commissioner Jackie Selebi for corruption.
Since Ginwala's report was sent to Motlanthe, the media has reported that Ginwala found Pikoli was fit to hold office but also was critical of him on some aspects.
With Sapa
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