Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the former public protector, has resigned from the EFF.
Mkhwebane joined the EFF soon after it was revealed that she had been dismissed from the Office of the Public Protector due to misconduct and ineptitude.
Writing on X (Twitter) on Wednesday, Mkhwebane said she needed to withdraw and concentrate on spending more time with her family because her time in office had been too demanding.
“The past seven years have made me realise that our fight for freedom was in vain,” she wrote.
“There has never been a time when I felt my rights were violated, as it has been done in the years I was the South African public protector.
“This continued even after I was unconstitutionally removed by parliament and the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.”
Mkhwebane claimed a R10-million gratuity for her service as a public protector after she was removed.
The current public protector, Kholeka Gcaleka, had challenged her predecessor, claiming that gratuities could only be paid after an employee resigned, not when they were fired, according to the terms of service.
Failed by the judiciary and parliament
Judge Omphemetse Mooki of the Pretoria High Court concurred, ruling that a gratuity was not appropriate for an individual who had been removed from office.
Mkhwebane claimed that the judiciary, parliament, and executive, among others, had failed her and that she had faced difficulties.
She emphasised that she continued to fight despite her waning strength, stating that this appeared to be the intended outcome — her suffocation, humiliation, and diminished dignity.
She maintains that looking into the CIEX (SA Reserve Bank) report, CR17 donations, and the Phala Phala scandal was what started all of this.
“My sin was delivering reports and findings against certain individuals who were offended and felt I needed to be dealt with harshly,” she wrote.
“My family was attacked; my mother, who later passed away, never knew peace after journalists harassed her. Today, I’m saying goodbye to you, fighters.
“After careful consideration and talking to my family, they advised and felt I needed to go away, spend time with them, rest, and continue to fight for the vulnerable where possible.”
