John Hlophe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st Leader of the Opposition | |
| Assumed office 25 June 2024 | |
| President | Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Preceded by | John Steenhuisen |
| Member of the National Assembly of South Africa | |
| Assumed office 25 June 2024 | |
| Judge President of the Western Cape High Court | |
| In office 1 May 2000 – 1 March 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Thabo Mbeki |
| Deputy | Jeanette Traverso Patricia Goliath |
| Preceded by | Edwin King |
| Deputy Judge President of the Western Cape High Court | |
| In office 18 May 1999 – 30 April 2000 | |
| Appointed by | Nelson Mandela |
| Preceded by | Edwin King |
| Succeeded by | Jeanette Traverso |
| Judge of the High Court | |
| In office 1 January 1995 – 1 March 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Nelson Mandela |
| Division | Western Cape |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mandlakayise John Hlophe 19 May 1959 Stanger, Natal, South Africa |
| Political party | uMkhonto weSizwe |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Ohlange High School |
| Alma mater | (LLM, PhD) |
Mandlakayise John Hlophe (born 19 May 1959) is a South African jurist and politician, currently serving as Leader of the Opposition of South Africa. He was the Judge President of the Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa from May 2000 until March 2024, when he was impeached. He was the first South African judge to be impeached under the post-apartheid Constitution.
Born in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal, Hlophe began his career as a successful legal academic with a specialty in administrative law. He taught at the University of Natal from 1988 to 1990 and at the University of Transkei from 1990 to 1994. After joining the Cape High Court bench in January 1995, he rose quickly through the judicial ranks, becoming Deputy Judge President in May 1999 and Judge President in 2000. He was shortlisted for elevation to the Constitutional Court in 2009.
Known as a vocal proponent of demographic transformation in the South African judiciary, he was a divisive figure in Western Cape legal society. In 2005, he accused various colleagues of racism in a report that was leaked to the press and widely circulated. While his supporters heralded him as a future Chief Justice, he became increasingly embroiled in controversy, and he was the subject of numerous complaints to the Judicial Service Commission, including one from the Cape Bar Council, one from Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath, and one from the judges of the Constitutional Court.
In the latter regard, in 2008, two judges of the Constitutional Court accused Hlophe of having attempted improperly to influence their judgment in matters involving President Jacob Zuma. After a prolonged legal battle, the Judicial Service Commission found him guilty of gross misconduct in August 2021, and the National Assembly of South Africa resolved to impeach him on 21 February 2024.