Professor Firoz Cachalia has officially been sworn in as South Africa’s Acting Minister of Police.
This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement nearly two weeks ago that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu would be placed on special leave, as a commission of inquiry investigates allegations of corruption within the police service.
Cachalia’s appointment marks a historic moment, as he is the first minister in the current administration to be appointed from outside of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court has dismissed an urgent application brought by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party challenging Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint Cachalia.
The MK Party argued that the appointment was irregular and a misuse of public funds. However, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the application must first be heard in the High Court, stating that the matter did not fall within its exclusive jurisdiction.
Legal expert Mpumelelo Zikalala said the MK Party can still challenge the decision in court, but it won’t be easy.
“They can go to court on an urgent basis, but they would need to prove urgency and show that the merits of the case justify intervention. It may be wiser to wait until the full appointment process is complete, assess whether it was done lawfully, and only then approach the court with a strong case.”
Zikalala added that acting pre-emptively based on media reports could undermine the MK Party’s challenge.
“To go to court now based only on assumptions or statements made in the media may not help them,” he said.
Listen to the full interview with Mpumelelo Zikalala below:
VOC News
Photo: Screenshot
