Zuma alleges ‘secret’ Khampepe emails in TRC recusal bid

Former President Jacob Zuma in the in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. Picture: X/@MkhontoweSizwex Former president Jacob Zuma claims that emails show that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) inquiry chairperson, retired Justice Sisi Khampepe, “secretly” wrote to evidence leader Advocate Ishmael Semenya, advising him of research that would be helpful in responding to an application for his recusal, which she later dismissed. Zuma and former president Thabo Mbeki filed separate applications for the recusal of Khampepe from chairing the commission of inquiry.

Last year,President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Justice Khampepeto chair a judicial commission of inquiry to determine whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes. This, after about 23 families sued him for R167 million in damages over extensive delays in prosecuting apartheid-era crimes recommended by the TRC. Oral arguments will be heard on 16 January 2026, and the commission is set to commence on 27 January.

In papers filed in this quest seeking Khampepe’s recusal from chairing the commission of inquiry into allegations of attempts to stop the investigation or prosecution of more than 300 TRC cases linked to him, Zuma declined to produce the email, saying it would be made available at a later stage. “For now, it is sufficient to reiterate that I maintain that the chairperson indeed gave the alleged advice in writing, and it will become available once the necessary discovery processes have been followed in the appropriate forums.” “To be more specific, on 5 November 2025, the chairperson personally wrote to Advocate Semenya SC advising him of research which would be helpful to his case and proposed that he should share with Vas Soni SC, who was representing him in the Semenya recusal application, which was scheduled to be argued before the very same chairperson,” Zuma said. Zuma claimed this correspondence was notably not sent from the official commission email but from the “chairperson’s private email address”. “On another occasion, the chairperson specifically advised Advocate Semenya to watch out for and/or deal with paragraph 45 of the founding affidavit in the Semenya recusal application, which alleges that Semenya SC had violated a directive of the commission.