The news that former and disgraced public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has decided to throw in her lot with the EFF raises interesting issues, and provides some answers (“Mkhwebane’s Stockholm syndrome”, October 19).

It appears the DA was prescient to distrust her when she put her hat in the ring against two sitting judges who were prepared to take a tilt at achieving leadership of arguably the most important of our chapter nine institutions.

Now she has doubled down on her impeachment by joining team Malema, thereby rejecting constitutional values in favour of his revolutionary agenda. Her desire to radically “transform” the mandate of the Reserve Bank remains undiminished, adverse personal costs awards notwithstanding.

The announcement of her new career path in politics rather than public service is also surely the death knell for any chance of persuading the authorities to pay her the gratuity she so richly does not deserve.

Mkhwebane has some mountains to climb to get into representative politics. She is still facing perjury charges which may, if she is convicted, carry a prison term without the option of a fine of more than one year. That would disqualify her as a candidate for parliamentary office.

In addition, there are swarms of creditors, including the state, which irregularly paid for her stay in Bryntirion, some of whom may be sufficiently impatient to sequestrate her estate in pursuit of their claims. That too would end her eligibility as an MP.

Paul Hoffman, SC
Accountability Now