Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she is too scared to defend her Estina Dairy Project report in court – after being ordered to personally pay part of the legal bill in the South African Reserve Bank case.

The Democratic Alliance and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution are seeking a review of Mkhwebane’s Estina report on the basis that the four-year investigation was a “whitewash” that failed to probe the role of key political figures in the scandal.

Mkhwebane now says she will abide by whatever the High Court rules on this application‚ but will file an affidavit to “explain” her investigation – which she defended in parliament last week.

Asked why the public protector had chosen not to oppose the review of her report‚ her spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said the personal costs order granted against Mkhwebane in the SARB CIEX case had “instilled fear in the public protector when it comes to defending her reports in court”.

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