Zuma, Mbeki to make formal application to have TRC inquiry chair recused

Former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki will on Friday morning make a formal application for the recusal of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Commission of Inquiry chairperson Justice Sisi Khampepe.

The application comes after both heads of state expressed their disapproval of Khampepe’s involvement in the commission.

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Khampepe was appointed alongside two other commissioners by President Cyril Ramaphosa to head up the commission in May.

The work of the TRC Commission is to investigate the cause of the delays in prosecuting apartheid era crimes amid allegations of political interference and deliberate delays.

In what can be described as a rare sight, Zuma and Mbeki will form a tag team in their bid to have Khampepe removed as chair.

One of the main complaints they have about her involvement is the fact that she was one of the commissioners in the initial TRC hearings in the 1990’s.

They have also pointed out that Khampepe was the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, claiming a conflict because the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was tasked to prosecute the crimes.

But Zuma takes it a step further, claiming Khampepe has a vendetta against him, as she delivered the Constitutional Court judgement that sent Zuma to prison in 2021.

The recusal application will be heard by the panel on Friday morning.