By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has set a deadline for respondents to oppose the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party’s Constitutional Court application against the decision to place Police Minister on special leave.
President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave after allegations that he was implicated in corruption.
General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KZN provincial commissioner claimed Mchunu was receiving financial support from a corrupt businessman to fund his “political endeavours”.
Mkhwanazi also detailed a sequence of events he claimed led to the “orchestrated” disbandment of a task force that was set up in 2018 to investigate the killing of politicians, mainly in KwaZulu.
Mchunu denied any wrongdoing, saying that he “stood ready to respond to the accusations” against him.
In addition, Ramaphosa appointed law professor Firoz Cachalia as interim police minister.
MK party has approached the Constitutional Court seeking to have Ramaphosa’s decision to place Mchunu on special leave set aside.
In the court documents, the MK party said the president’s decision to place Mchunu on social leave and appoint Cachalia as acting minister was “irrational”, “invalid”, and inconsistent with obligations in the Constitution and Presidential Oath of Office.
“Declaring that the conduct or decisions of the president to establish the Judicial Commission of Inquiry is irrational and/or inconsistent with the obligations in section 83(b) of the constitution and/or the Presidential Oath of Office, read with sections 84(2)(f), 177, 178(4) and/or 180 of the constitution and is invalid,” the court papers read.
The party calls for each to be set aside with immediate effect.
Maya’s directives set a number of deadlines for interested parties, namely those who wish to oppose the application must file their answering affidavits on or before Tuesday, 22 July 2025.
In addition, any interested parties that wish to intervene in support of the main application must file their intervention applications by Monday 21 July 2025.
In a supporting affidavit, MK Party deputy president, Mandlakayise Hlophe, said the president’s actions had sown confusion and undermined confidence in the police, particularly in light of Mkhwanazi’s explosive allegations of political interference in KZN.