Tensions boiled over in Parliament as Justice Minister Ronald Lamola tore into MK Party Deputy President Dr John Hlophe, branding him a “blind Zuma loyalist” and accusing him of hypocrisy, political opportunism, and a tarnished ethical record.
In a fiery exchange, Lamola slammed Hlophe’s recent attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa — in which Hlophe accused the President of undermining democracy — calling the criticism hollow coming from a man who, in Lamola’s words, once “attempted to influence Constitutional Court judges to favour Jacob Zuma.” He labeled the move “a clear display of dishonesty and lack of ethics.”
Lamola also zeroed in on the MK Party’s stance on parliamentary sovereignty, arguing that it contradicts the core tenets of South Africa’s constitutional democracy. He challenged Hlophe’s credibility as a constitutional defender, suggesting his rhetoric masks deeper political motives.
Rumours that Hlophe may be eyeing the position of Chief Justice fueled Lamola’s blistering critique further. He painted Hlophe’s ambitions as rooted not in principle, but in unwavering loyalty to Zuma and a desire to derail Ramaphosa’s reform agenda.
“Hlophe is not a reformer,” Lamola declared. “He is an unrehabilitated loyalist clinging to the past, not a future rooted in constitutional integrity.”
The clash underscored the deepening divisions within South African politics, where legal legacies, party loyalties, and leadership ambitions are increasingly colliding in public view. And as the MK Party pushes harder against the ANC establishment, more political fireworks seem inevitable.
