The first judge to be removed, John Hlophe, and the first Chapter 9 head to be removed, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, are now both members of the House that removed them. Hlophe as the MK Party’s parliamentary leader and Mkhwebane as EFF MP. (Jan Gerber/ News24)
The first judge and the first Chapter 9 head to be removed are now both “honourable members” of the very National Assembly that voted to remove them – and this makes the case for electoral reform, argues parliamentary reporter Jan Gerber.
The irony was hanging thick in Parliament’s Good Hope Chamber on Tuesday, when the MK Party’s MPs were being sworn in.
Here, we had the first judge to be removed in democratic South Africa, John Hlophe, who was sworn in as a member of the same institution – the National Assembly – that overwhelmingly voted to remove him. He won’t be an ordinary MP, he’ll be the leader of the opposition, a position so significant that the Constitution recognises it.
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we’re about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
