Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has written to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane demanding that she release her predecessor’s report on state capture within 24 hours.

Maimane said President Jacob Zuma’s withdrawal on Wednesday morning of an application for an interdict barring the release of the report meant that by law there was no longer any compelling reason to withhold it.

“There now remains no good reason for this report to remain under wraps.”

Maimane said Section 8(3) of the Public Protector Act stated that the findings of an investigation by the Public Protector be made available to the complainant and anybody implicated “when he or she deems it fit but as soon as possible”.

“This is to be read in conjunction with section 182(5) of the Constitution, which states that any report issued by the Public Protector must be open to the public unless exceptional circumstances require that a report be kept confidential.

“It is now incumbent on the Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, in terms of the Constitution and the law, to furnish me with a copy of the report as the complainant in this matter.

“I have written to her office in this regard, requesting that this be done within the next 24 hours.”

Zuma’s lawyer informed the Pretoria High Court that she had instructions to withdraw the application. This came after a full bench of the court on Tuesday ruled that it would allow opposition parties and former African National Congress MP Vytjie Mentor to intervene in the matter.