Umkhonto weSizwe has reiterated that the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) case challenging the designation of Dr. Mandlakayise John Hlophe to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is not only “frivolous” but intended to distract the MK Party from performing its main mandate.
Chairperson of the DA Federal Council, Helen Zille, said the legal action underscores a fundamental concern for the integrity and independence of South Africa’s judiciary.
Zille was addressing the media outside the Western Cape High Court, Cape Town, on Thursday.
“The writers of our constitution could never have envisioned a situation where an impeached judge – one removed for gross misconduct – could be appointed to the JSC, the very body responsible for selecting and overseeing judges,” she said.
RELATED STORY: MK Party brushes off DA attempt to remove Hlophe from JSC.
Meanwhile, the MK Party hit back in a statement, saying there can be no legal basis for the court to reverse a decision taken democratically by the elected representatives of the country.
“The clear intention of these organisations is to flood the courts and to waste the resources of the MK Party in an attempt to shift our focus from the task of liberating Africans, the poor and marginalised,” it stated.
“The time has come for the courts to put a stop to this kind of political harassment of [Umkhonto weSizwe] and its leaders, while abusing the machinery of the justice system,” the MK Party added.
The DA is joined by other organisations in this court case; Freedom Under Law, Corruption Watch and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC).
Afriforum has also brought a separate challenge in the Constitutional Court, according to the MK Party.
