The Public Protector's announcement follows a March 11 report in a South African national newspaper, the Sunday Times.

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The public protector has risen out of the bureaucratic morass to become a breath of fresh air for a South African public clamouring for more accountability from their public servants and leaders.

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Mr. Motlanthe said last week that he and his partner, Ms. Mtshali, "are firmly of the view that they have committed no wrongdoing of any kind in relation to the alleged events, " and called on the public protector to initiate the investigation into the report.

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