20 Facts About Busisiwe Mkhwebane

Busisiwe Mkhwebane is a South African advocate and prosecutor served as the 4th Public Protector of South Africa from October 2016 until her impeachment in September 2023.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane is the first head of a Chapter 9 institution to be removed through impeachment.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane graduated with a BProc followed by an LLB from the University of the North.

In 1994 Busisiwe Mkhwebane joined the Department of Justice as a Public Prosecutor, thereafter from 1996 as Legal Administrative Officer in the International Affairs Directorate.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane rejected the allegation that she received money from the Gupta family.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane then worked as an analyst for the State Security Agency from July 2016 to October 2016 before she was appointed Public Protector in October 2016.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane served as a board member for the Refugee Fund, where payments for financial assistance are made for refugees in distress.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane serves as the Director of Business Development at Iyanilla Bricks.

Opposition political parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Congress of the People, called for Busisiwe Mkhwebane to be removed as Public Protector, whilst civil society organisations such as COSATU and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse have called for her fitness to hold office to be reviewed.

In June 2017, with consultation from former South African Reserve Bank director, Stephen Goodson, and without consultation with government economists or legal scholars, Busisiwe Mkhwebane drafted changes to the Constitution to nationalize and remove the independence of the SARB and the bank's mandate to keep inflation under control; she then ordered Parliament to make those changes in the Constitution.

In 2017 Busisiwe Mkhwebane issued a report, the Bankorp-CIEX report, on her investigation into among others, Absa Bank.

The court found that Busisiwe Mkhwebane had lied under oath and had acted in bad faith in her investigation.

The court's judgment increased public calls to have Busisiwe Mkhwebane removed from office.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane argued that Mkhwebane's office violated the separation of powers, did not follow a fair process when investigating Phumelela's case and had a large number of both factual and legal material errors.

In November 2020 National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise appointed former Constitutional Court Judge Bess Nkabinde and senior advocates Dumisa Ntsebeza SC and Johan de Waal SC to an independent panel to consider whether there was prima facie evidence to suggest that Busisiwe Mkhwebane should be removed from office.

On 11 September 2023, following the completion of the process, the National Assembly voted to remove Busisiwe Mkhwebane, making her the first head of a Chapter 9 institution to be impeached.

On 16 October 2023, Busisiwe Mkhwebane joined the Economic Freedom Fighters party.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane was sworn in as a Member of Parliament on 20 October 2023.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane resigned from the EFF and the National Assembly on 16 October 2024, a year after joining the party.

In late October 2024, Busisiwe Mkhwebane joined the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party after resigning from the EFF in early October.