The Director of Public Prosecutions in kwaZulu-Natal is to decide within the next week whether to charge Public Protector Selby Baqwa with common assault.

Baqwa is alleged to have assaulted Dolly Mkhulisi in a room at the City Lodge in Durban on October 30, while he was in the coastal city attending the seventh conference of the International Ombudsman Institution.

The Public Protector is set to co-ordinate the investigation by the country's top investigative units into South Africa's R30 bn arms procurement deal.

Baqwa, who was elected vice-president of the International Ombudsman Institution at the week-long conference attended by ombudsmen from more than 100 countries, yesterday denied the common assault allegation, saying he would be consulting his attorneys on the matter.

A highly-placed source yesterday told The Citizen the public prosecutor in Durban was supposed to issue a summons for Baqwa to appear in court in February.

The woman, who consulted a doctor after the incident, laid a formal charge against Baqwa at the Durban central police station on November 7.

Baqwa's spokesman, Nicolette Teichman, told The Citizen the allegation is totally denied and rejected as false, and Advocate Baqwa will be consulting his attorneys in this regard.

With acknowledgement to The Citizen.