‘Accidental politician’ Breytenbach stands up to bullies

Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach said she was so surprised and humbled to receive the Europcar Women in Leadership Award at the 2024 Absa Jewish Achiever Awards, she accepted it on behalf of all she works with.

“It’s an enormous honour for me to be here tonight and to receive this award,” said Breytenbach, a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) since 2019.

She pointed out that her work isn’t a one-woman show. “I have a lot of support, and some of the people who support me are here tonight.” She mentioned the likes of George Michalakis, Werner Horn, Michael Bagraim, and Darren Bergman, who support her work every day. “So, this award isn’t about one person at all.

“If I do anything in Parliament that’s right and good, then it’s thanks to two people who are here tonight, and you all know them – Natie and Frances Kirsh. Everything I do is as a result of their mentorship, their leadership, their good example,” Breytenbach said.

Breytenbach is known for her infamous stare and bold public statements such as “a very small child could see through this process”; “I have a German Shepherd puppy that can come to that conclusion”; and “The elephant in the room is state capture.”

She recalled investigating Richard Mdluli, the former head of the South African Police Service Crime Intelligence Division, for fraud, theft, and corruption. “But of course, he was very well connected, particularly to Jacob Zuma. We received an instruction to withdraw the matter. They charged me with 16 counts of a whole lot of things, nothing ostensibly to do with Richard Mdluli. All kinds of other made-up nonsense. They lost 16-love. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) then decided to prosecute me criminally on the same set of facts.”

Breytenbach said she doesn’t like bullies, and will certainly never give in to them. The judge in the case found Breytenbach and her co-accused, former lawyer Gerhard Wagenaar, not guilty of any wrongdoing.

She subsequently traded in her judicial robes for a position in politics. “I’m an accidental politician. If the NPA hadn’t looked for shit with me, I would still have been a prosecutor,” she said.

Breytenbach also played a role in successfully removing Bheki Cele as the commissioner of police before he was brought back by President Cyril Ramaphosa as police minister. She was also involved with the move to remove John Hlophe from the JSC. “I’m also busy drafting a Private Member’s Bill that will in future prevent impeached persons from becoming members of Parliament,” she said.

Her other claim to fame is “owning the two most beautiful dogs in the world, but that’s just a coincidence”.