Busi Sets Down Her Marker New public protector Busi Mkhwebane bans USAID, foreign funding of her office and the use of consultants; and is engaging her predecessor about an unpaid car bill Dennis Cruywagen and Mthokozisi Dube, The New Age, Johannesburg, 20 October 2016 The new public protector shocked members of Parliament yesterday when she said a consulting firm had written the state capture report and that a US government agency (USAid) had given the office $500000 (R7m) in funding. In her first appearance before the justice and correctional services portfolio committee, Busisiwe Mkhwebane said she had stopped the practice of taking money from USAid. She has also banned the hiring of consultants. PWC PriceWaterhouseCoopers wrote the preliminary state capture report. Only one senior investigator was used in the report, Mkhwebane told members of Parliament. "Only one senior investigator was utilised in the state capture report. The skills transfer issue is critical. We can't depend on external resources," she said. Mkhwebane said her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, was being engaged about the crashing of her official vehicle by her son - first reported by The New Age. 20-minute handover She also said there had not been a smooth hand over from her predecessor, saying she had seen Madonsela for 20 minutes. They have agreed she would call her later to set up a meeting. "I hit the ground running with no proper hand over from my predecessor, Thuli Madonsela. She was pretty busy in her last few days, preparing for a media conference on state capture and other reports," she said. NFP, EFF "shocked" During her briefing National Freedom Party MP Sibusiso Mncwabe said he was shocked at the USAid donation. "For such an office with critical information, to receive international donations doesn't augur well. As Parliament, we must do our best to fund this office fully. This is a threat to the sovereignty of our state," he said. EFF MP Sam Matiase agreed with Mncwabe, saying: "It can't be right that the public protector was getting funds from USAid." Mkhwebane said she agreed with the concerns raised by MPs. "Donor funding is a thing of the past especially coming from the environment where I was working. I was working for state security and I know the impact of that." Before the court She also declined to release the state capture report, because the North Gauteng High Court has ruled it must be kept under lock and key. "I would want to indicate that the matter is before the court. I wouldn't comment on a letter written by the former public protector. That is inside the report. I won't comment why the letter was written. I have not gone through the letter," she told the portfolio committee yesterday. Mkhwebane said she was writing an affidavit which must be lodged with the court tomorrow. The document will be part of evidence to be used in the matter between President Jacob Zuma, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen and her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela. "I cannot release the report until the matter has been finalised. I cannot commit to say tomorrow the report is released because the court said it should be kept safe." On allegations by the DA that she had been a spy, she said: "I would request the honourable members of the DA to clarify that matter, to withdraw that statement. I would like my integrity restored." On the backlog of cases, she said matters older than two years would be reassessed. Narrative is a blight on my work - Madonsela Responding to Mkhwebane's revelations about the USAid funding, Madonsela said: "It's better that The New Age gets the documents before rushing to celebrate a non-existent blight on my work. USAid donates money to the South African government not state institutions. "Sometime last year, USAid said it would ask the government to give some of the leftover crumbs to the PPSA from the money given to the government. As far as I know we have not used any of that money yet and have been negotiating how such money can be deployed to non-core business. "Staff can attest to my insistence that the money could not go to core business. Memos to that effect are available. It's a pity a narrative has been formed and the facts are being ignored." Treasury US embassy spokesperson Cynthia Harvey said: "In 2015, following discussions with the national Treasury and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, USAID committed $500,000 to provide technical assistance to key areas of the Public Protector's (PPSA) five-year strategic plan, and, through it, assistance to the African Ombudsman and Mediator's Association (AOMA). "This assistance supports the Public Protector with training needs for investigators, specifically in investigation skills, anticorruption and fraud, alternative dispute resolution and report writing, all of which would increase its effectiveness and help to standardize practices across the PPSA. The PPSA has also highlighted a need for training in human resources and assistance with outreach activities to reach rural and marginalized people. These funds were not directed to any specific investigations undertaken by PPSA and were provided at the invitation of PPSA, in consultation with the South African government. They are part of $328 million provided to the government of South Africa this year in development assistance from USAID, which is just one of the U.S. government agencies providing development assistance in South Africa." At the time of going to press, National Treasury did not respond to our queries. 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