Busisiwe Mkhwebane bids EFF goodbye

Impeached former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane is leaving the EFF, the party she represented in parliament for the past year.

Insiders claimed actor Fana Mokoena is also on his way out.

Mkhwebane posted on her X account: “Today [Wednesday] I’m saying goodbye to you fighters. After consideration and talking to my family they advised and felt I needed to go away, spend time with them, rest and continue to fight for the vulnerable where possible.”

In her resignation letter addressed to the party leadership and structures, she said: “In my time of need you fighters extended a helping hand, becoming a refuge for me in the past 12 months. Your unwavering support has been a beacon of hope, and for that I am deeply grateful.”

Mkhwebane joined the EFF shortly after her removal from office in September last year.

She became an MP in October.

In an interview with podcaster Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, which was made public on Wednesday, Mkhwebane indicated she had not decided on her next step.

“I’ll resign soon from the EFF and then it means I’ll be resigning from parliament and I’m weighing my options.

“One lady was saying to me, 'you know what, I wish you could go out of South Africa and apply for asylum because whatever you do you are being attacked'.

“I’ll move to something else which will maybe move me from that position. I can contribute more somewhere else than where I am.”

She did not respond to TimesLIVE's request for comment.

Mokoena and party spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys were also not available at the time of publishing.

TimesLIVE