Former South African Presidents to Testify in TRC Inquiry
Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma will testify this October after the Constitutional Court rejected their attempts to block a probe into apartheid-era prosecution delays.
Former South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma will testify this month before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Cases Inquiry. Mbeki is scheduled to appear on October 19 and 20, followed by Zuma on October 22. The judicial body was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate allegations that successive administrations under Mbeki and Zuma systematically blocked or delayed the prosecution of over 300 apartheid-era cases referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.
Both former presidents attempted to avoid the proceedings by seeking the recusal of the inquiry's chairperson, retired Justice Sisi Khampepe. They cited her previous roles as Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions and on the TRC’s Amnesty Committee as sources of bias. These challenges were rejected by the High Court and ultimately dismissed by the Constitutional Court of South Africa in August.
The inquiry is driven by the Calata Group, which represents families and survivors of apartheid-era human rights violations seeking accountability for unprosecuted crimes. The commission is mandated to submit its final findings and recommendations to President Ramaphosa by December 18, 2026.
