The National Assembly has voted in Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka as the new Public Protector of South Africa. Gcaleka who has been acting in the position since the suspension of impeached Busisiwe Mkhwebane will remain the Public Protector until 2030. At the age of 41, she is the youngest and fifth Public Protector to have been appointed since the inception of the office in 1995.The vote took place at a special sitting of the National Assembly in the Cape Town City Hall yesterday.

VOTING IN NEW PP

The National Assembly nominated Gcaleka with the required 60% vote threshold to permanent appointment. There were 244 votes in favour of her being the new Public Protector mostly from the ANC, supported by the Inkatha Freedom Party and minority parties while 12 MPs voted against her appointment. Members of the EFF, DA, UDM, ATM, COPE and PAC did not take part in the voting. DA and EFF opposed Gcaleka's appointment saying she has a black cloud hanging over her head. President Cyril Ramaphosa will appoint Gcaleka as per parliamentary recommendation after her nomination.

DRAMA IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Before the new PP could be voted in, there was drama between the DA, EFF and the Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach offended a number of MP's when she suggested that Gcaleka got promotions because she was in an intimate relationship with former National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Menzi Simelane. Breytenbach an Gcaleka both worked as prosecutors at the NPA. "Her cosy relationship, some say intimate relationship with her boss, the rather odious Menzi Simelane, led to speedy promotions and her very vocal and active support of his role in the capture of the NPA," Breytenbach said. The statement did not sit well with ANC MP and Human settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi who raised a point of order saying Breytenbach insinuating that Gcaleka's promotions were due to her giving sexual favours should not be allowed in the house. "In this country, in this day, with what we have gone through, we cannot allow this, we can't allow to have such an insinuation in the house also given what we have gone through as women in this country," said Kubayi. 

INSTRUCTED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE

Mapisa-Nqakula ordered Breytenbach to withdraw her statement which she refused and was immediately ordered to leave the house. Defending his fellow party member, DA leader John Steenhuisen challenged Mapisa-Nqakula's ruling, saying she had relied on a wrong rule in kicking Breytenbach out. He called the Speaker a liar. "The last ruling you've made is an incorrect ruling. It's incorrect because Gcaleka doesn't occupy any of the offices," Steenhuisen said before the Mapisa-Ngqakula cut him short and said she was not about to discuss the issue. In retaliation, he said: "You are a disgrace as a Speaker, you should not be sitting there and we will remove you, you are a disgrace." Soon afterwards, the rest of the DA caucus staged a walke out in a show of defiance. The newly appointed EFF MP Mzwanele Manyi said during the debate that the red berets were rejecting Gcaleka's nomination with contempt. "South Africans must see that they have voted thugs who are willing to appoint a tainted person to a position of Public Protector with a dark cloud hanging over her head," Manyi said, to the annoyance of ANC MPs who demanded that he withdraw his statement. He was also asked to leave the house after he refused to withdraw the statement.