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FILE | The Commission of Inquiry into Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases Chairperson Justice Sisi Khampepe.
The application of former Presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki for the recusal of the chairperson of the Khampepe Inquiry has been dismissed.
JUST IN | Justice Sisi Khampepe has dismissed both applications for her recusal from chairing the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into TRC cases, submitted by former Presidents Zuma and Mbeki. pic.twitter.com/ueoLzMRogL
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 30, 2026
The former presidents had filed papers before the Commission of Inquiry into the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
President Cyril Ramaphosa established the Inquiry.
The inquiry, established in May last year, is probing if there were deliberate efforts to frustrate the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era human rights violations uncovered at the TRC.
Khampepe, a retired Constitutional Court Judge, previously served as a member of the Amnesty Committee of the TRC and then Deputy National Director of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Khampepe will continue to chair the Inquiry. The former heads of state had alleged that Khampepe’s extensive background had created a potential conflict of interest.
She had previously served on the TRC’s Amnesty Committee and is a former Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mbeki and Zuma had also alleged that Khampepe had provided undisclosed legal counsel to the chief evidence leader of the commission, Advocate Semenya, potentially compromising the integrity of the proceedings.
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