Parliament to start process to find replacement for MK Party's Hlophe on JSC
Parliament confirmed on Tuesday that Speaker Thoko Didiza received a formal letter from the MK Party withdrawing its nomination of Hlophe as one of the designated members of the National Assembly to serve on the JSC.
MK Party parliamentary leader, John Hlophe, in Parliament. Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X
CAPE TOWN - Parliament said it would start the process of finding a replacement for MK Party parliamentary leader, John Hlophe, on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Parliament confirmed on Tuesday that Speaker Thoko Didiza received a formal letter from the MK Party withdrawing its nomination of Hlophe as one of the designated members of the National Assembly to serve on the JSC.
Hlophe's withdrawal from the JSC follows a court challenge by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and others who questioned Parliament’s decision and rationality of allowing an impeached judge to serve on the very body that removed him.
In its decision to withdraw Hlophe from the JSC, the MK Party said it would not allow Hlophe's name to be associated with an improperly constituted JSC.
The JSC on Tuesday continued its interviews without Hlophe following a failed attempt to interdict the process.
Parliament also said that it would be moving ahead with the process to fill the vacancy left by Hlophe.
Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo: "Following the vacancy created by Dr Hlophe's resignation from the JSC, the National Assembly will proceed in terms of its rules, to initiate the process to designate Dr Hlophe's replacement in the JSC."
But Moloto said that given the timing of Hlophe’s resignation and the fact that the October 2024 interviews were already underway, it was not possible to designate a replacement for this round of JSC interviews.