He said she needed to be protected from "enemies of progress".  "We need to support her, particularly because if you look at the type of people who are against her, those are the enemies of progress, and we must protect her against the enemies of progress," Malema said in an interview with SABC News.

Malema was speaking ahead of the EFF’s central command team meeting this weekend in Johannesburg. The sitting took place ahead of the party's national elective conference in December.

Mkhwebane has been under public scrutiny following several adverse court findings based on her reports and personal cost orders, which led to questions over her understanding of the law. The Democratic Alliance's request for an inquiry into her fitness to hold office was delayed while Parliament’s rules committee established a process that would govern the Public Protector’s removal.

Malema claimed that the personal cost orders against Mkhwebane had nothing to do with her fitness to hold office.

“It doesn’t mean we won’t disagree with her, we will disagree with her from time to time. Where she is wrong, we will take her on [judicial] review, but taking a person on review has nothing to do with the fitness to hold office,” he told the public broadcaster.

On Friday, Mkhwebane joined pastors in praying to God to protect her and the country’s justice system. She attended a prayer meeting near her home town in KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga, which she said was organised by non-profit organisation Democracy in Action.

Local chiefs, pastors, politicians, and members of the public gathered in support of her and called unto God.

The Public Protector had previously said only God could remove her from office. She was joined in prayer by the ANCWL’s President Bathabile Dlamini and ATM leaders Mzwanele Manyi and Vuyolethu Zungula.

EWN