IFP: Mabandla an embarrassment

2008-02-11 14:18

Johannesburg - Justice minister Brigitte Mabandla is an embarrassment to the judiciary and should be dismissed after being ordered by the High Court to do her work, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said on Monday.

"This is without a doubt the only country in the world where the Minister of Justice has not only been found guilty of the violation of human rights, but also been ordered by the High Court to do her work.

"President (Thabo) Mbeki has no other choice but to immediately dismiss her from Cabinet. She has become an embarrassment to the judiciary, the ANC and South Africa," said IFP chief whip Koos van der Merwe.

His comments followed a Pretoria High Court judgment ordering Mabandla to consider 384 applications for presidential pardons from IFP prisoners within three months.

The prisoners were reportedly jailed for political crimes. The applications, according to the IFP, had been "gathering dust" with the minister for more than four years.

The party said the Human Rights Commission already found the minister guilty of violating the human rights of these prisoners for her failure to act on the applications.

The commission had ordered the minister to finalise the applications by March 31 last year, which she failed to do.

The prisoners then decided to seek intervention by the High Court. Papers were served on the minister in May last year.

"This is a massive triumph for the protection of human rights," said Van der Merwe.

He said he would "urgently discuss" the way forward with the Justice Department.

- SAPA