On the first day of the Section 194 impeachment inquiry of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the faultlines of strategy and tactics emerged -- insistence on public accountability for misconduct and incompetence, or one woman's David versus Goliath battle.

Given the politicking around suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, setting out the ground rules was important on Monday, day one of the unprecedented parliamentary inquiry into impeaching a head of a constitutionally established Chapter 9 institution. The governing ANC's Radical Economic Transformation grouping has adopted her, as has the EFF in no small measure -- also with support in court action -- while other opposition parties including the United Democratic Movement (UDM) are also supportive.

The politicking emerged almost from the get-go -- over the presidential suspension of Mkhwebane pending the Section 194 committee proceedings into her removal from office.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa raised the suspension and wanted answers from the evidence leaders on the Section 194 committee's role in this. None, and thus nothing further could be said, was the response.

Advocate Dali Mpofu SC, representing Mkhwebane in the impeachment inquiry as in court, however, again raised presidential bias -- and how this bias also affected the Section 194...