Joemat-Pettersson, former minister of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, died on Monday (5/6) and is yet to be buried. She has previously been accused of attempting to extort R600 000 from Mkhwebane’s husband with the promise that she would make her (Mkhwebane’s) impeachment inquiry disappear. 

Opening the media briefing, Mkhwebane blames the death of Joemat-Pettersson on the three arms of the state in South Africa. “I will show that, to different degrees, the late Tina Joemat-Pettersson would still be alive if the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the ANC/DA alliance had complied with their constitutional obligations. In a way, all of these institutions killed Ms Joemat-Pettersson.”

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Mkhwebane alleges that Joemat-Pettersson met with her husband, David Skosana, at the O.R. Tambo airport to solicit the R600 000 bribe. It is alleged that Joemat-Pettersson was meeting with Skosana on behalf of the ANC chief whip in parliament, Pemmy Majodina, and the chair of the Section 194 inquiry investigating Mkhwebane's ability to hold office, Richard Dyantyi. While it is difficult to tell what is being said in these audio clips, the woman in the voice clips, who is allegedly Joemat-Pettersson, explains that there will no longer be oral presentations during the inquiry, and Mkhwebane will have to give a written affidavit, it is unclear if what is being explained by the women will take place after or before the R600 000 has been paid.

Suspended Public Protector plays a part in the recording between her husband and the late Tina Joemat-Pettersson. #eNCA #Mkhwebane https://t.co/L1bHvQeAiF pic.twitter.com/Nc53IprYOb

— Heidi Giokos (@HeidiGiokos) June 13, 2023

Skosana has since opened a case of extortion. Hawks spokesperson Thandi Mbambo confirmed that they were investigating the allegations after they had been handed over evidence. Joemat-Pettersson, before she died, refuted the allegations that she ever attempted to solicit a bribe from Skosana to make Mkhwebane’s impeachment inquiry “go away”.

Joemat-Pettersson was described by her colleagues as a "dedicated member of parliament". 

Freedom Front Plus leader, Pieter Groenewald, said she will always be remembered for mentioning in her speeches that public servants must be held accountable to the people of South Africa. Joemat-Pettersson was the chairman of the portfolio committee on police at the time of her death. "She always said it's not about party politics, but what's in the best interest of the people of the country. In that sense, she was a very dedicated person and a Member of Parliament."

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