A civil society organisation called Democracy in Action has launched a fundraising campaign to help Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane pay for a high court cost order against her.
Mkhwebane lost her appeal against the order at the Constitutional Court on Monday. The matter related to her report into the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and ABSA.
The high court set aside the report in February 2018 and ruled that Mkhwebane must personally pay 15 percent of the costs. She now has to pay after losing her appeal.
Democracy in Action has now appealed to South Africans to contribute funds to help cover Mkhwebane’s costs.
In a letter posted on its Twitter page, the organisation says it focuses on strengthening democracy, protecting the constitution, promoting human rights and the rule of law, and fighting poverty, inequality and unemployment.
The letter indicates that the organisation’s chairperson is Mr Thabo Mtsweni. It contains banking details to which well-wishers can donate.
Democracy in Action has dubbed the campaign “Hands off the Public Protector” and it’s rapidly gaining support on social media.
Interestingly, Mkhwebane, through her personal Twitter page, has retweeted a number of tweets posted by @HandsOffPP, a Twitter account apparently established for the campaign.