MK Party challenges Cachalia's appointment in high court following ConCourt defeat

Former President Jacob Zuma, alongside the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), have lodged an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria challenging President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to appoint a non-member of Parliament as a Minister.

The application follows a recent defeat at the Constitutional Court on July 31,2025 where the party was dismissed on grounds that it failed to engage court's exclusive jurisdiction.

The legal battle comes after Ramaphosa placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on leave, facilitating the temporary appointment of Professor Firoz Cachalia as the acting Police Minister.

MK Party has maintained that appointing Cachalia is unconstitutional, flagging serious legal and procedural violations.

In this new legal manoeuvre, the party is not only opposing the appointment of Cachalia but it's  also disputing the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which was created following explosive allegations leveled against Mchunu.

These allegations come from KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who has accused Mchunu and other high-ranking police officials of being part of criminal syndicates.

Mkhwanazi’s claims that senior police officials, including Mchunu, were involved in criminal syndicates and had interfered in politically sensitive investigations, including disbanding elite units tasked with corruption probes.

In response to Mkhwanazi's claims, President Ramaphosa promptly appointed Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga as the chairperson of the newly instituted Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which is expected to investigate these serious allegations in tandem with Parliament's ongoing investigations. 

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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