Thursday’s court’s ruling “is a resounding vindication of jurisdiction and centrality of the public protector in protecting our most fundamental constitutional values”‚ Corruption Watch said.

The watchdog said it applauds the Constitutional Court judgment “which finds that the rulings of the public protector are binding and can only be set aside upon judicial review”.

The judgment also found that President Jacob Zuma and Parliament had failed to uphold‚ defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the land by disregarding the public protectors’ report on spending on Nlandla.

Corruption Watch said the ruling “reinforces the provision in the Constitution for all organs of state to protect and promote the Chapter 9 institutions”.

“The court characterised the public protector as an independent and essential fighter against public maladministration‚” the organisation added.

“The court’s ruling is a resounding vindication of jurisdiction and centrality of the public protector in protecting our most fundamental constitutional values.”

Corruption Watch executive director David Lewis said the “findings underline the imperative to ensure that the next public protector is an equally robust defender of the public against state abuse and maladministration”.

 Thuli Madonsela’s term of office expires in October this year.

“The stakes surrounding the appointment of a new public protector are considerably raised by the recent announcement that the public protector will be investigating state capture in response to on-going revelations concerning the relationship between the Gupta and Zuma families‚” Lewis added.