Suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane had massively reduced backlogs, secured an “unprecedented” three consecutive clean audits, improved service delivery and brought strong women leadership into the office, her advocate, Dali Mpofu, said on Wednesday.

In cross-examining provincial investigation and integration executive Nelisiwe Thejane during the parliamentary impeachment hearings, Mpofu said these achievements had “come at a cost”.

“To get these outcomes you have to crack the whip sometimes,” Mpofu said.

Referring to Thejane’s allegations that she, and others, had been victims of Mkhwebane’s  policies of “victimisation, harassment and intimidation”, he said she was now the 15th witness trotted out at the hearing complaining about how she ran her office.

It was “disturbing”, Mpofu said.

“She never came and beat people ... or was drunk. All these problems were because she was driving performance,” he said.

Thejane conceded that, on paper, Mkhwebane had done a good job and her aim was improving performance. But she said it was not what Mkhwebane was doing, it was “how she was doing it ... it was what she says and how she says it ... her actions”.

“There must be a limit, there must be fairness,” she told the inquiry. “I don’t believe she  is a victim,” she said when Mpofu said Mkhwebane also was under pressure to deliver. 

“The issue is she viewed justified reasons (for missing deadlines) as illegitimate excuses and that consequence management was the only approach.”

The inquiry has heard that Mkhwebane was ruthless about deadlines and would not tolerate excuses. She adopted a punitive stance — instilling a  general culture of fear — and missed deadlines would result in the errant employee being given an “audit” — a notice of possible disciplinary action.

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