The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party has called for all South African judges to publicly declare their assets and undergo lifestyle audits.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, the Jacob Zuma-led party warned that South Africa’s democracy is at risk if judges remain untouchable.
The party argues that if Members of Parliament, elected by and accountable to the public, must declare their assets, the same should apply to judges, who wield immense constitutional power and influence over citizens’ lives and freedoms.
“South Africa cannot afford to have a judiciary that is shielded from the same transparency expected of other arms of state. Judges are not infallible, but human and prone like all of us to error, influence including even bias, whether conscious or otherwise. The long-standing myth of judicial immunity from human frailty must be challenged if we are to build a judiciary that is truly beyond reproach.”
“Hence, as MK Parliament will change the Constitution to ensure that we have Parliament Sovereignty to ensure the will of the people prevails, which cannot and should not be reversed by Judges who are not law makers but interpreters of the law passed by Parliament as per the will of the people.”
The party also called for the immediate implementation of lifestyle audits and the declaration of assets for all members of the judiciary, from the highest echelons of the Constitutional Court to the lower benches.
“These audits must be swiftly conducted with independence, thoroughness and regularity. The people of South Africa deserve to know: Who funds the lavish lifestyles of some judges and how they accumulated their assets? How do some accumulate unexplained wealth on public salaries? Are judicial decisions ever influenced by relationships, financial interests or political affiliations? Their home and vehicle loans, including whom they bank with and their tax status. International trips they have taken in the past 5 Years.”
It added that as long as judges continue to operate in a cocoon of untouchability, the rule of law remains at risk.
“Accountability must be universal, not selective. Let it be clear: this is not an attack on the judiciary, but a defence of democracy and the will of the people. Transparency is not a threat, it is a necessity. The integrity of our courts depends not only on the law, but on public trust and that trust must be earned through openness, not opacity.”
“The MK Party will not rest until the judiciary is held to the same if not higher ethical standards expected of any public servant. The days of sacred cows are over. South Africans are watching and they demand answers.”
