John Hlophe, the parliamentary leader of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, stated that his party is committed to the fight for land reform and believes that the country’s laws need to be “Africanised” to support this cause.
The former impeached judge president was one of the 58 members of his party who were sworn into Parliament on Tuesday, after initially boycotting the ceremony earlier in the month.
Hlophe expressed that his party’s intentions in Parliament were beyond mere political games.
“With almost three decades as a judge, I am now ready to take on the role of the official opposition leader in Parliament,” Hlophe remarked.
He added that the MK Party plans to collaborate with progressive parties like the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM), noting that EFF leader Julius Malema has offered guidance to the newcomers.
“We are going to engage in very robust debate but in a respectful manner, but please make no mistake we are not going to allow ourselves to be bullied by anyone.”
Hlophe emphasized that a major priority for his party is to secure land for those without land.
“The land in Africa can never be the subject of private ownership, the land belongs to the nation, it does not form part of private ownership.”
Hlophe clarified that their participation in Parliament does not mean they are withdrawing their legal challenges concerning the recent election results.
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