Committee to Probe South African Ombud's Fitness to Hold Office

A National Assembly plenary sitting has approved the establishment of a special committee to conduct an inquiry into the Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office. This comes after the House's adoption of the report of the Independent Panel of Experts, tasked with establishing whether a prima facie case existed for the motion proposing her removal. Mkhwebane's tenure has faced controversy over multiple cases which include her investigation into an alleged 'rogue' unit in the South African Revenue Service (SARS), her recommendation for remedial action against Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan for his "improper conduct" of approving former SARS deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay's early retirement and a challenge by President Cyril Ramaphosa who called on Mkhwebane to explain how she managed to obtain his private emails surrounding his CR17 campaign for the leadership of the ruling African National Congress.