South Africa’s first impeached judge president, John Hlophe, is to be sworn in on Tuesday as an MP for the MK Party.
In a statement on Friday, the party said Hlophe’s “reputation as an impeccable jurist and seasoned activist, who believes in an African-based judicial system, makes him an ideal leader for the MK Party and South Africa at this crucial time”.
The party said Hlophe’s “legal expertise … will prove invaluable as we navigate any legal challenges the DA/ANC coalition may attempt to orchestrate”.
News24 reports that, when approached for comment, Hlophe said: “I am not ready for interviews. Wait until I am sworn in, and that is going to happen on Tuesday.”
In 2021, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) found Hlophe had threatened and interfered with the Constitutional Court’s independence, impartiality, dignity and effectiveness. It ruled that Hlophe improperly attempted to influence Justices Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta to violate their oaths of office in separate conversations in 2008 about former president Jacob Zuma and co-accused French arms company Thint (now Thales).
Earlier this year, Hlophe was removed from his judicial position after 305 MPs voted in favour of his impeachment, with 25 opposing.
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