Uphahla lwenkawu: Umndondo sekuyiPhalamende kuHlophe

Kungenzeka ukuthi uMengameli waBehluleli eWestern Cape uJohn Hlophe, abenguMehluleli wokuqala eNingizimu Afrika elawulwa ngokwedemokhrasi ukukhishwa kulesi sikhundla?

Lona wumbuzo osematheni kulezi zinsuku kulandela umbiko weJudicial Conduct Tribunal  (JCT) lapho iveze ukuthi ithole uHlophe enecala lokungaziphathi kahle okusezingeni eliphezulu ngokwephula iSigaba 165 soMthethosisekelo. 

UHlophe ulahlwe icala lokuzama ukunxenxa aBehluleli beNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo ecaleni elalithinta owayenguMengameli wezwe uJacob Zuma.  

Kuthiwa ngowezi-2008 kunecala lenkohlakalo eNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo elalithinta uZuma, ngaleso sikhathi owayengakabi nguMengameli wezwe, kanye nenkampani yezikhali iThint nokuthinteka kwabo esivumelwaneni sezikhali sezigidigidi zamarandi, uMehluleli uHlophe waya kuBehluleli bale Nkantolo uBess Nkabinde noChris Jafta ngenhloso yokubanxenxa ukuba bakhiphe isinqumo esizozwelana noZuma kuleli cala. 

Kwabe sekufakwa isikhalo ngalokhu kuJudicial Service Commission (JSC) yona eyabe udaba isilwedlulisela kuJudicial Conduct Tribunal. 

Sekuphele iminyaka engaphezulu kweli-12 lolu daba lulokhu lushukwa. Enye yezimbangela zokubambezeleka kwalo amacala abefakwa eNkantolo uMehluleli uHlophe kukhona izinto akhala ngazo.

Okushiwo uMthethosisekelo

ISigaba 177 soMthethosisekelo sivumela ukuthi umehluleli ehliswe esikhundleni uma etholwa enecala. Njengoba uMehluleli uHlophe esetholwe enecala nje, iJudicial Conduct Tribunal umbiko wayo isiwudlulise kuSihlalo weJudicial Service Commission, uMogoeng, okuyiyo ezocacisa ngekusasa likaMehluleli uHlophe. Uma iJSC ivumelana nokutholwe iJCT ukuthi uMehluleli uHlophe unecala lokungaziphathi kahle, kuzobe sekuqala uhlelo lokuthi udaba luyiswe ePhalamende lapho amalungu alo akha okubili kokuthathu kuzomele avotele ukuba uHlophe akhishwe. Uma kuke kwafikwa kulesi sigaba, uMengameli wezwe nguye okhipha umehluleli ngokusemthethweni.

Uma ivoti lePhalamende lingahambisani nokukhishwa kukamehluleli, anganikwa esinye isijeziso esincane okungaba wukuthi ayalelwe ukuba axolise, ahlawuliswe, elulekwe noma aqeqeshwe. Lokhu kubonakele kwenzeka ngowezi-2019 ecaleni likaMehluleli uNkola Motata owashayisa imoto yakhe odongweni lomuzi edakiwe ngowezi-2017 waphinde waphimisa amagama anokucwasa ngokobuhlanga. Lapha iJSC yathi nakuba uMehluleli uMotata ayenecala lokungaziphathi kahle kepha lokhu kwakungeyikho ukuziphatha okubi kakhulu ngakho kumele akhokhe inhlawulo.

Umbiko weJudicial Conduct Tribunal

IJudicial Conduct Tribunal eyakhiwe aBehluleli uJoop Labuschagne, uTati Makgoka noMmeli uNishani Pather embikweni wayo isole ukuziphatha kukaHlophe mayelana nezinsolo azenza ngowayenguMehluleli Omkhulu uPius Langa nowayeyiPhini likaMehluleli Omkhulu uDikgang Moseneke zokuthi baphambanisa amaqiniso nokusebenzisa ipolitiki ukumnyundela.  

“Esiphethweni, uma sibheka amaqiniso nezimo, sithola ukuthi: (a) ukuziphatha kuMengameli waBehluleli uHlophe kwephule iSigaba 165 soMthethosisekelo ngokuthi azame ukunxenxa aBehluleli ababili beNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo ukuba bephule izifungo zabo zehhovisi; (b) ukuziphatha kwakhe kubeke engcupheni futhi kwagxambukela ekuzimeleni, nokungathathi izinhlangothi, isithunzi nokusebenza kweNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo; (c) ukuziphatha kwakhe kubeke engcupheni ukwethembeka kwezobulungiswa emphakathini,” kufundeka umbiko weJCT.

Uqhube wathi: “Sibona ukuthi lokhu kuwukungaziphathi kahle okusezingeni eliphezulu. Ngakho-ke, ngokuvumelana sifinyelela esinqumweni sokuthi uMengameli waBehluleli uHlophe unecala lokungaziphathi kahle ngokwezinga eliphezulu njengoba kuvela kuSigaba 177 soMthethosisekelo.” 

Kwenzeka lokhu nje, iNational Prosecuting Authority (NPA) isiphonsele inselelo isinqumo sikaHlophe sokuchitha amacala enkohlakalo abekwe ilungu lePhalamende le-African National Congress (ANC) uMnu uBongani Bongo.

Ekupheleni kukaNhlolanja nonyaka uHlophe wachitha leli cala emveni kwezinsuku ezine ummeli kaBongo efake isicelo ngaphansi kweSigaba 174 ezeseka ngokuthi abukho ubufakazi obungenza ukuthi inkantolo ithole uBongo enecala kulezi zinsolo.

INPA isiveze amaphutha emaphuzwini omthetho ayisi-9 njengoba ifuna ukuphonsela isinqumo sikaHlophe inselelo. Umbuso uthi uHlophe wazidukisa yena maqondana nomthetho iPrevention and Combating of Corruption Activities Act kanjalo nangendlela yokukala ubufakazi bofakazi nokwamukela okushiwo umsolwa okungavivinyiwe.  

Ungubani uMehluleli uHlophe?

UHlophe ungomunye wabehluleli abaphezulu beNkantolo Enkulu kuleli. Waqokelwa kulesi sikhundla ngowezi-2000 kanti uma engehliswanga uzoba kulesi sikhundla aze athathe umhlalaphansi.

Ufunde ezomthetho e-University of Natal, e-University of Fort Hare naseCambridge University.

Ufundise ezomthetho e-University of Transkei ngaphambi kokuba aqokelwe ukuba nguMehluleli ngowe-1995. Eneminyaka yobudala engama-36, waba ngowokuqala waboHlanga ukuqokelwa ngokugcwele eNkantolo Enkulu eWestern Cape.

Selokhu aba nguMengameli waBehluleli, igama lakhe selithinteke ezingamekweni eziningi okubalwa kuzona umbiko awubhala ngowezi-2004 ngokucwasana ngokobuhlanga eNkantolo Enkulu eWestern Cape awudlulisela kowayenguMehluleli Omkhulu uPius Langa. Kulo mbiko wayesola owayenguMengameli waBehluleli ngaleso sikhathi uJeanette Traverso ngokucwasa. Komunye umbiko wakhe owawunamakhasi angama-43 awuthumela kuNgqongqoshe Wezobulungiswa ngoLwezi wezi-2004, wasola abehluleli abamhlophe nabaphambili baseCape ngokucwasa ngokobuhlanga.

Ngowezi-2006, iJSC yacelwa ukuba iphenye izikhalo ngesikhathi indodana yakhe ithola umfundaze enkampanini enkulu yabameli yaseCape Town iSmith Tabata Buchanan Boes (STBB). Wagcina etholakale engenacala nesikhalo sachithwa yiJSC.

Ngawo futhi owezi-2006, iJSC yaphinde yacelwa ukuthi iphenye isikhalo ngoHlophe mayelana nobudlelwano bakhe nenkampani yezezimali i-Oasis kuyona okuthiwa wayethola imali eyizi-R10 000 njalo ngenyanga. Isikhalo sasimayelana nokuziphatha kwabehluleli abathola imali emaceleni. Okwakukhalisa nakakhulu ukuthi wayenike le nkampani imvume yokuthi imangalele uMehluleli uSiraj Desai.

Ngowezi-2017 igama lakhe laliphezulu esinqumweni seNkantolo Yokwedluliswa Kwamacala ngokuziphatha kwakhe odabeni olwaluthinta ukwebiwa kwezigidi ezingama-R48 usomabhizinisi othile. Izigemegeme zikaHlophe azigcinanga lapho njengoba ngowezi-2020 iJSC yathola isikhalo ngaye sivela kuPhini lakhe uGoliath.