Fundraising for Public Protector’s personal costs order has now reached R161,000, almost three months since it was launched.
Civil society organisation Democracy in Action launched the fundraising campaign in July following a ruling by the Constitutional Court against Mkhwebane.
In an update on Twitter on Wednesday, the organisation said “the date for payment [of] the final amount is yet to be announced, so donations are still very much welcomed.”
The organisation tagged African Transformation Movement leader Vuyo Zungula, Economic Freedom Fighters Deputy President Floyd Shivambu, and African People’s Convention leader Themba Godi in the tweet.
They have been vocal supporters of the campaign and the Public Protector, especially on social media.
R100,000 in three weeks
In August, Democracy in Action’s chairman Thabo Mtsweni said they had raised R100,000 in just three weeks.
Speaking to IOL, he said they were confident of raising the estimated R900,000 Mkhwebane requires in three months.
He said, “We are happy with the way the donations are coming so far when you consider that in three weeks we have managed to raise over R100,000. We are hopeful that we will reach the R900,000 target within three months.”
However, their latest update suggests that donations have slowed down considerably.
ConcCourt ruling
In July, the Constitutional Court dismissed Mkhwebane’s appeal against a personal costs order imposed against her by the high court in February 2018.
The matter was related to her controversial report on the ABSA-South African Reserve Bank Bankorp bailout.
CounCourt ruled that Mkhwebane must personally pay 15 percent of the legal costs related to the case, translating to a reported R900,000.
Mhwebane criticised the ruling, saying it set a “bad precedent” because it risked undermining the principle of her office acting without fear or favour.