Graft accusations a plot, South Africa Public Protector claims

South Africa’s public protector Thuli Madonsela has denied allegations of corruption. She says that accusations of graft before she took office are part of a ploy to obstruct her investigation into irregular police lease agreements that she maintains implicate the National police Commissioner Bheki Cele.

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As public protector Thuli Madonsela investigates impropriety in state affairs, reporting direct to cabinet.

Newspaper reports Wednesday said she was about to be arrested for allegedly illegal activities when she worked at the South African law reform commission.

Madonsela denies these claims.

She says it is very suspicious that police minister Nathi Mthethwa was left in the dark regarding her alleged imminent arrest.

The accusations will not derail her investigations at any level, she says.

South African women lawyers association president Noxolo Maduba says the claims are designed to distract her from releasing reports on alleged wrongdoing in leases for police headquarters in Pretoria and Durban totalling 150 million euros.

In her preliminary report, Madonsela finds National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele guilty of maladministration for his role in the leases.

Opposition MP Debbie Schafer says there is a pattern of intimidation of anybody involved in exposing police wrongdoing.

She was referring to the arrests of a journalist who wrote about the leases. Charges against him were later withdrawn.