POLITRICKING | Dali Mpofu speaks on Shivambu’s Parliament deployment, MKP shakeups and his legal battles
Mpofu, once dubbed 'the people’s advocate', discussed his political and legal career, wading through some of the criticism that’s been levelled against him, especially when he tackled matters in the court room, that seem to be in complete contrast to who he’s understood to be in the political realm.
JOHANNESBURG - "None of us own these positions," says Advocate Dali Mpofu when asked about Floyd Shivambu’s future in the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, in what now feels like an ominous warning.
Mpofu, who features on this week’s Politricking with Tshidi Madia, an EWN podcast, recorded the conversation just days before Shivambu found himself booted out of the secretariat of the organisation founded and led by former President Jacob Zuma.
Shivambu has now been redeployed to Parliament to "strengthen" the party’s caucus. He does so without being appointed leader or chief whip of the official opposition.
Mpofu, then referring to Mzwanele Manyi, who was demoted as the whip in Parliament, being replaced by newcomer Colleen Makhubele, said he didn’t view the changes as demotions, instead being part of adjustments that come with a new party, as it tries to find some kind of stability.
The activist and lawyer, recalling the early days of the EFF, said having been part of a "start-up" organisation the upheaval that causes much fanfare in the MKP doesn’t faze him much.
Elective conferences are not part of the MKP’s agenda, with a constitution, which was firmed up by Shivambu, giving unfettered powers to the president of the organisation.
Zuma, last year, went as far as describing the leadership contest as fake. The move is also aimed at achieving "maximum stability".
"Literally everyone, including myself, is appointed to whatever position you hold, that in a way gives you the dexterity to make the changes, because you don’t have to call a conference every time you want to make changes but at the same time, I suppose its amenable to frequent changes," he observed.
Mpofu said this, however, didn’t mean there’d been wrongdoing, or one was being dismissed.
And while he’s aligned with the idea, he recognised it was risky and might cause confusion for potential voters.
"That’s the risk you have to take. Either you want to inspire confidence, or you want to build the organisation in such a way that you might inspire confidence in the long run," he explained.
"The aesthetics are not good, we have had four or five SGs, but in my book would be a huge improvement," added Mpofu.
Throughout the interview Mpofu, once dubbed "the people’s advocate", discussed his political and legal career, wading through some of the criticism that’s been levelled against him, especially when he tackled matters in the courtroom, that seem to be in complete contrast to who he’s understood to be in the political realm.
"The problem is that everyone thinks the only cases I do are the TV cases or challenge the system," he said.
Mpofu said he didn’t take the criticism seriously, more so because some matters weren’t because he was seeking a win but instead were aimed at pushing the envelope.
The advocate also had some choice words for the current head of public prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi, whom he described as "an unmitigated disaster".
Those views are likely to find expression with millions of South Africans following yet another loss before the courts by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
This time, before the Free State High Court, which declared the extradition of Moroadi Cholota, the former personal assistant of Ace Magashule, from the US to South Africa unconstitutional.
Cholota is meant to be the NPA’s star witness in the matter involving Magashule, businessman Edwin Sodi and 15 others over an asbestos contract stemming from his time as Free State premier.
"She’s been an unmitigated disaster. That’s what happens, I suppose, when appointments are made, for particular reasons, rather than what the job really requires," he said.
Mpofu on the Legal Practice Council and the various charges it brought against him, which has since been revised from seven to four, said it knows it is playing politics. He said the LPC being called out by Chief Justice Mandisa Maya and Professor Thuli Madonsela for proffering charges against him on their behalf showed just how problematic its approach towards him had been.
"Two women, in different parts of the country, complaining about the same thing about the same organisation but nobody cares. If it was the other way round, it would be 'Oh no, the world is coming to an end,'" he said.
"There can be no doubt that those actions were motivated by another agenda, other than trying to protect the so-called defenceless women," he added.
Mpofu slammed both the media and gender rights organisations for not focusing on the LPC’s handling of complaints linked to the two prominent women.
And when pressed to speak on his future, he simply defined himself as "a drifter", but admitted he had little to no yearning to occupy the courtroom as a judge.
When asked if he would agree to become the MKP’s number two, he smiled, saying he would go wherever his party wanted him to go.