Advocate Dali Mpofu SC has launched a scathing attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa, arguing that the country is being governed outside the bounds of the law. Representing the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday, Mpofu said the party’s case against the president is urgent and cannot be delayed.
“The whole country is now being run illegally. There is an acting minister, who’s illegally appointed,” Mpofu told the court. His remarks were directed at the appointment of Firoz Cachalia as Acting Police Minister and the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The legal challenge arises from Ramaphosa’s decision to temporarily install Cachalia after the suspension of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Soon after, the president announced the formation of the Madlanga Commission, which is tasked with investigating alleged irregularities and corruption within the police service.
Mpofu argued that both moves are unconstitutional and represent an abuse of executive power. According to him, the president has bypassed legal procedures and undermined the principles of accountability. “If such decisions are allowed to stand, then there are no limits to presidential authority. This is not just about one appointment; it is about the integrity of constitutional democracy,” he said.
[WATCH] “The whole country is now being run illegally. There is an acting minister, who’s illegally appointed.” Adv. Dali Mpofu SC argues that the MK Party’s case against President Cyril Ramaphosa on the appointment of Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and the establishment… pic.twitter.com/sNH8tDv5mB
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The MKP contends that the Constitution does not permit the president to unilaterally appoint an acting minister under these circumstances, nor does it allow him to establish a commission without parliamentary oversight. The party further claims that the Madlanga Commission is nothing more than a political tool designed to consolidate Ramaphosa’s power.
Government lawyers are expected to defend the president’s actions, insisting that he acted lawfully to ensure continuity in policing and to address urgent governance issues. The Presidency has already dismissed the MKP’s claims as baseless and politically motivated.
This legal battle comes at a time when tensions between Ramaphosa and the MKP, led by former president Jacob Zuma, are at their peak. The party has consistently questioned the legitimacy of the president’s leadership since the May elections and has used the courts as a battleground for its disputes.
The court is yet to rule on whether the matter qualifies as urgent. If it does, the case could escalate into one of the most significant constitutional confrontations in recent years, with potential implications for executive authority and governance.
For Mpofu, the stakes could not be higher. “The people of South Africa deserve a government that operates within the law. Anything less is a constitutional crisis,” he declared.
