Hamilton Samuel, who was suspended early in March after penning an open letter to Mkhwebane calling for her resignation, says he still stands by his views regarding Mkhwebane’s unfitness to hold office. 

Samuel maintains Mkhwebane has brought nothing but disrepute to the chapter 9 institution. He says the accumulating number of cases she is losing with costs and reports taken for reviews is a clear indication of her incompetence. His statements come just weeks after Mkhwebane has suffered another legal setback with the Constitutional Court that dismissed her bid to appeal a High Court judgment that set aside her Estina Dairy Farm report. Despite being uncertain as to when he will resume his duties, Samuel says this case is just one of many examples of how Mkhwebane is failing the public.

“I am more determined than before that she should resign. I have given up on my complaint that I have lodged with parliament and on the process to remove her, but that does not take away the fact that she should leave. A number of cases have happened, which only demonstrates her unfitness to hold that office. I have always held the view that she has been deployed to destroy that office and the prestige it had before she held office,” said Samuel.

Prior to the Constitutional Court ruling, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in June dismissed her attempt to appeal the Pretoria High Court judgment against her regarding the same controversial Gupta-linked investigation report.

The SCA ruled that Mkhwebane should pay at least 85% of the costs in her personal capacity. This, after the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Council for the Promotion of the South African Constitution (Casac) took the report on judicial review, stating that it was nothing but a white-washing, seeking to protect politicians as it failed to indicate the role played by senior politicians such as the likes of the former Free State Premier Ace Magashule and former Agriculture MEC, Mosebenzi Zwane. 

The SCA dismissed her application indicating that there was no reasonable prospect of success in an appeal and there is no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard.

OFM News previously reported that over R220 million, earmarked to assist upcoming farmers in Vrede through this project, was looted from the province without any intended beneficiaries seeing a single cent.

OFM News