Kholeka Gcaleka (born in 1982 in KwaZulu-Nata) is an advocate of the high court of South Africa. She was announced to serve as the deputy public protector by Parliament’s justice portfolio committee in November 2019.
She is not a newbie in the country’s legal matters and has appeared in several high-profile cases. Together with her qualifications, that earned her the appointment to her new position.
Kholeka speaks six official languages in the country including isiZulu, English, Setswana, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, and Sesotho.
Profile
| Name | Kholeka Gcaleka |
| Age | 39 years old |
| Date of birth | 1982 |
| Place of birth | Johannesburg |
| Nationality | South African |
| Education | Law LLM Commercial Law |
| Alma mater | University of KwaZulu-Natal University of Johannesburg |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | Politician |
| Position | Deputy public protector |
Background
She was born in 1982 and the place of birth is in Johannesburg, South Africa. She grew up between the city of gold and Umzimkhulu, a town in Harry Gwala District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
In an interview session with Power987, she revealed that her upbringing played a notable role in her value system.
She grew up in a white family, her mother was a domestic worker. Kholeka says that growing up and returning to the rural areas made her experience “widespread inequality and poverty”.
Qualifications
She holds a Law degree and obtained the certificate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She is currently studying for LLM Commercial Law at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Career
She has served as a special advisor and senior state advocate and occupied the position of deputy director of public prosecutions.
Kholeka is an Admitted Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and the former national chairperson of the SA’s Society of State Advocates.
She is a member of the Black Lawyers Association and is Director at Khonconsulting to date. She was an advisor to Malusi Gigaba during his tenure as the minister of home affairs and finance.
She boasts of over fourteen years of experience, with eight years of senior management experience.
Position
She was appointed to serve as deputy public protector from eight candidates. This follows an exhausting selection process in the Parliament.
Those who were shortlisted include Moshoeshoe Toba, Shadrack Nkuna, Noxolo Mbangeni, Lwasi Phumelela Kubukeli, and Puleng Matshelo.
She was nominated for the post by Advocate Adele Barnard. Gcaleka earned the position with her vast experience in the government through several positions she had served.
Salary
The department of justice and correctional services requested for the National Assembly’s approval on a salary adjustment for the deputy public protector.
According to John Jeffery, a deputy minister, Kholeka Gcaleka received lesser pay than her predecessor.
“The current salary of the DPP sees her earning considerably less than the executive management of the institution over which she shares oversight, thus undermining her authority to fulfil her responsibilities,” he said.
This woman lacks the vast experience of the judge who concluded that Ramaphosa has a case to answer and now she exonerated Ramaphosa who rewards her with an Acting position. Yet another example of astonishing incompetence, cadre deployment and an affront to the rule of law.
Adv. Gcaleka along with Edward Kieswetter, have gone out of their way to stick their necks out for a person who stuffed cash into his furniture. Let that sink in for a moment.