Former President Jacob Zuma Files Urgent Constitutional Court Application to Remove Justice Sisi Khampepe from TRC Inquiry

Jacob Zuma has approached the Constitutional Court to remove Justice Sisi Khampepe from the TRC Inquiry, citing bias and a looming May deadline.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 10:47 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Eyewitness News

Urgent Appeal to the Apex Court

Former President Jacob Zuma has escalated his legal battle to remove Justice Sisi Khampepe as the Chairperson of the TRC Cases Inquiry by launching an urgent application in the Constitutional Court. This move follows a recent majority ruling by the Johannesburg High Court which dismissed his initial bid to have the judge recused. Zuma is requesting direct access to the apex court, bypassing traditional appellate routes, under the premise that the matter is inherently time-sensitive and of significant constitutional importance.

Arguments for Recusal and Claims of Bias

The core of Zuma’s legal challenge, shared with former President Thabo Mbeki, rests on the allegation of judicial bias. Both leaders argue that Justice Khampepe’s previous roles—specifically her work within the original Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and her tenure as Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions—render her unable to preside impartially over the current inquiry. The inquiry is investigating the roles of various political figures in the multi-decade delay of prosecuting high-profile TRC cases.

High Court Dismissal and Procedural Flaws

The Johannesburg High Court previously dismissed the application for recusal, with the majority of the full bench finding that Zuma had failed to follow due process before bringing the matter to court. Despite this, Zuma is now relying on the dissenting minority judgment from that case to justify his petition to the Constitutional Court. He contends that the legal questions raised by the minority opinion warrant a definitive ruling from the country’s highest judicial authority to ensure the inquiry’s integrity.