South Africa’s security minister, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, has demanded that Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, hand over a classified report allegedly in her possession.
Evidence leaders presented two letters between the two officials during a recent committee hearing.
Mkhwebane had allegedly used the classified inspector-general of intelligence report to make findings against public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan in her investigation into the so-called “rogue unit” at the SA Revenue Service (Sars).
However, her report on the unit was set aside by the Pretoria High Court in December 2020.
Mkhwebane claimed that she had to have access to the report in order to strengthen democracy. Evidence leader, Nazreen Bawa SC, told the committee that the report was included in the source documents of Mkhwebane’s report.
Mkhwebane responded to Letsatsi-Duba’s letter by stating that she had taken steps to ascertain whether the document received by her office was indeed a secret document of the IGI. Letsatsi-Duba maintained that the report was classified and demanded that Mkhwebane return it to her without delay. The committee meeting has been postponed until next Tuesday.
