Twenty-five families and victims of apartheid-era crimes have expressed profound frustration and concern over President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to file his own affidavit and heads of argument in support of former Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma’s application seeking the recusal of Justice Sisi Khampepe, who chairs the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Inquiry.
The families have accused Ramaphosa of actively advancing views that advocate for the demise of the very Commission he himself established.
In a prepared statement read out on behalf of the families and survivors, Thembi Simelane, who is Nokuthula Simelane’s sister, said they are extremely concerned that the President is not opposing the relief sought by Zuma and Mbeki.
“More disturbingly, he makes the claim that no due diligence was carried out on Khampepe’s previous roles. He admits that if he had been aware that she served on the TRC as a commissioner and at the National Prosecuting Authority as Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, he would not have appointed her,” said Simelane.
According to the families and survivors, Ramaphosa is also asking the court to issue an order “declaring that all acts, decisions, directives, and proceedings undertaken by the Commission with the involvement of Commissioner Khampepe are unlawful and of no force or effect, and accordingly constitute a nullity.”
They argued that the order of nullification sought in this review risks forcing families to relive their trauma repeatedly through prolonged and duplicative processes, accusing the President of going against his commitment to abide by the court ruling, which initially dismissed the application for the recusal of the commission chairperson.
“Despite filing a notice to abide by the Court’s ruling, he is actively encouraging the Court to make the orders sought by the former Presidents and is siding with his predecessors,” explained Simelane.
Following the dismissal of the recusal applications, both former Presidents have approached the High Court on an urgent basis to review Khampepe’s decision to dismiss their application for her recusal.
The application will be heard by the Pretoria High Court over two days, Monday, March 16, 2026, and Tuesday, March 17.
Furthermore, Simelane said the families and survivors view Ramaphosa’s decision as strong support for the relief that the former Presidents are seeking from the High Court to order the removal of the Chairperson of the Commission.
“The actions of former Presidents Mbeki and Zuma, coupled with support from President Ramaphosa to halt the work of the Commission, are deeply troubling. Yet, given the testimony heard so far about political interference, they are perhaps not entirely surprising,” Simelane remarked.
The families added that the actions of the former Presidents, supported by President Ramaphosa, form part of a wider strategy to derail efforts to uncover the suppression of TRC cases.
