MK Party, Jacob Zuma seek urgent court interdict to halt Madlanga Commission of Inquiry

CapeTalk and 702's Mandy Wiener chats to MK Party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and former president Jacob Zuma have filed an urgent application in the Gauteng High Court to interdict the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is scheduled to begin in Pretoria on 17 September.

The commission, chaired by retired Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is investigating serious allegations involving senior government figures, the police and the judiciary.

The party argues the inquiry is unconstitutional, politically motivated, and a waste of public funds.

They claim that President Cyril Ramaphosa should have simply dismissed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu instead of launching a costly judicial process. 

"What we believe and what we've seen is that had the President just fired Senzo Mchunu, South Africans would not be finding themselves in a situation where they will be having to fund the political patronage that's being extended by Ramaphosa to his friend Senzo Mchunu for him to continue to stay in cabinet."

- Nhlamulo Ndhlela, MK Party spokesperson

Ndhlela says they also allege a conflict of interest, stating judges implicated in the inquiry may be expected to preside over or be scrutinised by their peers. 

"How do we even know that Madlanga is not investigating himself?"

- Nhlamulo Ndhlela, MK Party spokesperson

The party further accuses government of deliberately scheduling the inquiry to start a day before the court hears their application - undermining its urgency. 

Despite these claims, the Constitutional Court previously dismissed a similar attempt by the MK Party on jurisdictional and urgency grounds.

"This judicial commission of inquiry should not even proceed because the judiciary itself is rotten."

- Nhlamulo Ndhlela, MK Party spokesperson

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• Madlanga Commission findings not legally binding, but will carry significant weight - Jeremy Michaels, spokesperson 
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Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.