DA to MK Party: Deferment of JSC sitting because Hlophe is disallowed will cost taxpayers R3m
On Friday, the MK Party asked the court to interdict next week’s JSC meeting for a couple of months while it seeks clarity on its parliamentary leader John Hlophe’s participation.
Advocate Dali Mpofu (left) and advocate Thabani Masuku (right) representing the MK Party and John Hlophe respectively in the Western Cape High Court on 5 September 2024. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) says if the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party gets its wish to have next week’s Judicial Service Commission (JSC) sitting postponed, it will result in a R3 waste of the State's funds.
The Johannesburg High Court is currently hearing an urgent application by the MK Party to postpone the upcoming JSC meeting.
It follows the Western Cape High Court’s interim order last week preventing Hlophe from participating in the JSC.
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The interdict came from an application brought by the DA and Freedom Under Law, who argue that Hlophe cannot serve on the same body that recommended his impeachment.
On Friday, the MK Party asked the court to interdict next week’s JSC meeting for a couple of months while it seeks clarity on Hlophe’s participation.
The DA’s legal representative, Michael Bishop, said the MK Party seeks a review of the Western Cape High Court order ruling.
He added State organs can't stop functioning because of people seeking to review court decisions.
"There is a cost to the administration of justice because judges will not be appointed, and there is fruitless and wasteful expenditure at least.”
The JSC is due to meet from the 7th to the 16th of October to interview over 50 candidates and judges for various vacancies in the country’s courts.