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ConCourt sets date to hear Mbeki and Zuma’s case against Sisi Khampepe

Dailydispatch · · 634 words · By Sinesipho Schrieber
Judicial Independence and Legal Procedure Political Interference in Justice Accountability for apartheid-era crimes
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2026-05-20-concourt-sets-date-to-hear-mbeki…

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified Verified 1
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“The Constitutional Court has set next month for hearing the legal challenge by former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma seeking to have retired justice Sisi Khampepe removed as chair of a commission probing allegations of political interference in the delay of prosecutions of apartheid-era crimes.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma challenged Justice Sisi Khampepe's role as chair of a commission probing the failure to prosecute apartheid-era crimes and that the matter moved toward the Constitutional Court.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Constitutional Court of South Africa is the supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general j…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Court_of_South_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal Constitutional Court (German: Bundesverfassungsgericht [bʊndəsfɐˈfasʊŋsɡəˌʁɪçt] ; abbreviated: BVerfG) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Constitutional_Court
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 185 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_29
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“section 47 of Superior Courts Act, which states litigants in civil proceedings have to seek permission before instituting litigation against a judge.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of the word 'section' and unrelated court acts from Canada and the UK. There is no specific evidence provided regarding Section 47 of the South African Superior Courts Act.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The court system of Canada is made up of many courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction. In the courts, the judiciary interpret and apply the law of Canada. Some of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_system_of_Canada
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Courts Act 1971 (c. 23) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the purpose of which was to reform and modernise the courts system of England and Wales, as well as effectively separatin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courts_Act_1971
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, commonly known as the notwithstanding clause (French: clause dérogatoire or clause nonobstant), allows the Parliament of Canada or provincial…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Cha…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The former presidents’ failure to obtain permission from chief justice Mandisa Maya before litigating against Khampepe led to the case being dismissed without consideration of the merits, in a majority judgment penned by judge Thifhelimbilu Mudau in March, in the high court in Johannesburg.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that the high court in Johannesburg dismissed the application by Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki to remove Justice Sisi Khampepe.
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web search NEUTRAL — Mbeki dismissed Zuma on 14 June 2005 after Zuma's financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was convicted of making corrupt payments to Zuma in connection with the Arms Deal. Zuma was charged with corruption …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Zuma
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web search NEUTRAL — The Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg on Monday said it did not have the jurisdiction to decide over the application for the dismissal of the application by former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki…
https://iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/2026-03-30-court-dis…
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web search NEUTRAL — The high court in Johannesburg has dismissed an application by former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki to remove retired justice Sisi Khampepe as chair of a commission of inquiry.
https://www.businessday.co.za/news/law/2026-03-30-zuma-mbeki…
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“the top court issued directives that the appeal by former presidents seeking to overturn the dismissal of the case would be heard on June 29.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the legal battle is corroborated, the specific date of June 29 for the hearing is not explicitly confirmed in the provided search snippets, although the general context of the appeal is present.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation (Russian: Конституционный Суд Российской Федерации) is a high court within the judiciary of Russia which is empowered to rule on whether certain laws…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Court_of_Russia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal Constitutional Court (German: Bundesverfassungsgericht [bʊndəsfɐˈfasʊŋsɡəˌʁɪçt] ; abbreviated: BVerfG) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Constitutional_Court
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 185 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_29
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Khampepe leads a commission probing whether the failure of investigations by police and the National Prosecuting Authority to prosecute the heinous apartheid crimes exposed in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was due to political influence.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Justice Sisi Khampepe is the chair of a commission investigating the failure of the NPA to prosecute apartheid-era crimes exposed by the TRC.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brigitte Sylvia Mabandla (born 23 November 1948) is a South African politician, lawyer and former anti-apartheid activist who served in the cabinet of South Africa from 2003 to 2009, including as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Mabandla
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa in 1996 after the end of apartheid. Authorised by Nelson Mandela and chaired by Desmon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Elisabeth (Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie; German: [eˈliːzaˌbɛt aˈmaːliə ɔʏˈɡeːniə]; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi, [1] was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria
+ 2 more evidence sources
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“Khampepe was a member of the TRC and its amnesty committee, appointed by the late president Nelson Mandela in 1995”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim erroneously returns results for 'Empress Elisabeth of Austria' (Sisi) rather than Justice Sisi Khampepe. No evidence regarding her appointment to the TRC in 1995 is present in the provided text.
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web search NEUTRAL — Elisabeth (Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie; German: [eˈliːzaˌbɛt aˈmaːliə ɔʏˈɡeːniə]; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi, [1] was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 28, 2025 · The Many Myths of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the 19th-Century Royal Whose Beauty and Tragic Death Transformed Her Into a Legend The reluctant empress known as “Sisi” painstakingly cr…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-many-myths-of-emp…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sisi: Austrian Empress: With Dominique Devenport, Jannik Schümann, Désirée Nosbusch, David Korbmann. "Sisi" follows the extraordinary life of empress Elisabeth of Austria. Modern, honest, and authenti…
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt11269100
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“served as the deputy national director of public prosecutions from September 1998 to December 1999.”
VERIFIED
A specific source detailing Justice Sisi Khampepe's career explicitly states she was the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions from September 1998 to December 1999.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sisi Virginia Khampepe is a retired South African judge who served in the Constitutional Court of South Africa between October 2009 and October 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisi_Khampepe
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web search NEUTRAL — She was then employed by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development as Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, a post she held from September 1998 to December 1999. In December …
https://www.concourt.org.za/index.php/judges/current-judges/…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sisi Khampepe was born on 8 January 1957 in Soweto. Her early memories of growing up focus on her mother, a domestic worker, who had to leave her in the care of her uncle from Natal. One day her uncle…
https://ourconstitution.wethepeoplesa.org/justice-sisi-khamp…
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“The NPA has failed to prosecute numerous apartheid-era crimes and has secured only a few convictions.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources indicate that the NPA has failed to secure significant convictions for apartheid-era crimes, with one source specifically noting only two indictments post-apartheid.
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web search NEUTRAL — For apartheid as defined in international law, see Crime of apartheid.The Bantu Authorities Act of 1951 created separate government structures for blacks and whites and was the first piece of legislat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
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web search NEUTRAL — It is hardly surprising that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has secured only two indictments post-apartheid in apartheid-era cases – those of Nokuthula Simelane and Ahmed Timol...
https://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/justice-and-closure-remai…
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web search NEUTRAL — Given the appointment of a new National Director for Public Prosecutions at the end of last year, there is perhaps renewed hope that the NPA will fulfil its mandate and prosecute apartheid era crimes.
https://opiniojuris.org/2019/05/03/apartheid-era-crimes-inde…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.