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Criminal charges against Madonsela “entirely uncalled for’ – COPE

Mosiuoa Lekota
Mosiuoa Lekota

Congress of the People believes that it has been a very bad start for new Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and that it cannot be a coincidence that her very first case in office is to investigate her predecessor Adv Thuli Madonsela.

Like the Democratic Alliance‚ Cope accused her of dancing to the tune of President Jacob Zuma and said she must know that she is compromising herself. 

The party’s remarks come in the wake of reports that Mkhwebane has laid a criminal charge against Madonsela‚ following a complaint from Zuma.

The Sunday Times quoted Mkhwebane as saying that she opened the case at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria two weeks ago in connection with the “leaking” of an audiotape of an interview Madonsela had with Zuma during her “state capture” investigation.

Madonsela‚ who is out of the country‚ has admitted to giving the audiotape of her interview with Zuma to news channel eNCA. The recording is damaging for Zuma because it disproves his claim that he was never given a chance to put forward his side of the story‚ the newspaper said.

Cope spokesman Dennis Bloem said on Sunday the party believed that Madonsela had done nothing wrong by releasing the audiotape of her interview with Zuma during her state capture investigation.

“We know that Zuma lied and he wanted to convince the country that Madonsela didn’t give him opportunity to respond to the allegations made against him.

“Madonsela revealed that she pleaded with Zuma to have an interview with him but she struggled for four months to have such meeting.

 “COPE says it is Zuma who has to be charged for lying and misleading the country‚ not Madonsela‚” Bloem stated.

“What Mkhwebane did was to blindly follow Zumas’s instructions and decided to lay criminal charges against Madonsela‚” he added.

Bloem reminded Mkhwebane not to forget that there was “still a dark cloud hanging over her head‚ allegations that she is a spy”.

 “COPE wants to caution Mkhwebane not to strengthen the spy allegation against her by dancing to the tune of Mr Zuma and the ANC.”

 

 

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