South Africa's first impeachment inquiry of a public office bearer ended on Monday with Busisiwe Mkhwebane voted out of office as Public Protector. Lasting for more than three years, the process, including the 14-month public inquiry, was mired in legal challenges and politicking.

It was a tame debate with significant cross-party agreement in the House on Monday ahead of the vote to remove from office the already suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane for misconduct and incompetence.

The vote came down to 318 for Mkhwebane's removal from office -- comfortably more than the constitutionally required two-thirds support, or 267 votes -- and 43 against, with one abstention, from Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota.

ANC speakers hammered home how Parliament's Section 194 impeachment inquiry had kept an open mind and made up its mind only on the facts and evidence before them.

"I have no doubt the committee has established, on the facts, that advocate Mkhwebane has indeed misconducted herself and is incompetent and is not fit for this esteemed office," was how inquiry chairperson ANC MP Qubudile Dyantyi put it.

It was important to do so to nix any sympathies within the fractured governing party and for those once seen as close to Mkhwebane -- like ANC MPs Mosebenzi Zwane, the ex-Free State agriculture MEC central to the Gupta-linked Vrede Dairy Farm scandal; and Bongani Bongo, the ex-state security minister -- to stand up on Monday and publicly vocalise their "Yes" for Mkhwebane's removal...