Members of Parliament (MPs) on Tuesday adopted a report recommending that the National Assembly appoint Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane as the country’s next Public Protector.

The recommendation enjoyed the support of opposition parties on the ad hoc committee charged with finding a successor for Thuli Madonsela, barring the Democratic Alliance (DA). DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said the party reserved comment, for now.

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said his party had given its backing to the report and would reiterate that when it was put to the National Assembly next Wednesday.

Mkhwebane emerged as the favourite after members of the African National Congress (ANC) on the committee charged found themselves unable to defend Judge Siraj Desai’s candidature after a poor interview. Desai snapped at MPs, prompting the opposition to say he lacked the temperament to withstand the pressures of the job.

Adopting the minutes of its meetings on Tuesday, ANC MPs asked that the references to Desai be muted as they too harsh. It was then agreed that the record would simply state that “he lost his temper” under questioning.

The DA’s objection to Mkhwebane includes that she offered no reasonable explanation during her interview for leaving a position at the department of home affairs for a lower-ranking job in the intelligence services.

Madonsela’s seven-year term ends in mid-October.