Dali Mpofu
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Daluxolo Christopher Mpofu (Dali Mpofu), (born 17 January 1962) is a South African lawyer, politician, and former businessman who was the National Chairperson of the
Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...
(EFF) from 2014 to 2019. He served on the Judicial Service Commission from 2017 to 2022 and formerly served as chief executive officer of the
South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...
from 2005 to 2009. Mpofu was admitted as an
advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
of the High Court in 1993 and was awarded senior counsel status in 2014. He is known for taking on politically sensitive cases: among other clients, he has represented striking mineworkers at the Marikana Commission, Tom Moyane at the Zondo Commission, and Busisiwe Mkhwebane at the Section 194 Enquiry; since 2021, he has been lead counsel for former President
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
in his corruption trial. Formerly a longstanding member of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
, Mpofu defected to the EFF in 2013.


Early life and activism

Mpofu was born in 1962 in Duncan Village outside
East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...
in the former
Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope (), commonly referred to as the Cape Province () and colloquially as The Cape (), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Co ...
. His mother, Nosebenzile Doris, was a domestic worker. In his account, he became active in the
anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...
around the time of the
1976 Soweto uprising The Soweto uprising, also known as the Soweto riots, was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa during apartheid that began on the morning of 16 June 1976. Students from various schools began to p ...
and subsequently became a "
radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...
". At the age of 17, he was detained for his political activities – then as a member of the Congress of South African Students – and was charged with sabotage and arson. After his acquittal in April 1981, he took up work as a spot-welder at a
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
factory, where he organised on behalf of the South African Allied Workers' Union. In addition, he later said that he had joined the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC) underground in 1980. By 1986, Mpofu was a student at the
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...
(Wits), where he was president of the
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
-aligned Black Students' Society – according to him, he won the position in a contest against Black Consciousness activist Xolela Mangcu. In 1986 he was detained without trial at John Vorster Square. In 1987, Mpofu worked in Kathleen Satchwell's attorney offices, and he completed his BProc at Wits in 1988.


Early legal career


Relationship with Winnie Mandela

Mpofu worked for a year in the Social Welfare Department of the ANC, which was unbanned by the apartheid government in 1990. In that capacity he served under
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist, second wife of Nelson Mandela. During ...
, the ANC's head of social welfare. In addition, along with George Bizos and others, he served on the legal team that represented Madikizela-Mandela when she was prosecuted for her alleged involvement in the murder of Stompie Seipei. In 1992 he was elected as publicity secretary for the
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
branch of the
ANC Youth League The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (N ...
. By 1991, '' City Press'' had reported on rumours that Madikizela-Mandela had an affair with Mpofu while her husband, political prisoner
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
, was on
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. It was also widely rumoured that the affair continued after Mandela's release. In May 1992, both Mpofu and Madikizela-Mandela were sacked from their ANC positions amid reports that the party was investigating
fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...
charges against them; an ANC document leaked to the press said that Madikizela-Mandela was accused of using "ANC money to live it up with her alleged lover, lawyer Dali Mpofu". Mpofu instituted wrongful dismissal charges against the ANC; both he and Madikizela-Mandela denied the affair and fraud allegations. In June 1992, national and international media printed a letter that Madikizela-Mandela had apparently written to Mpofu in March 1992; in the letter, she alluded heavily to their affair and moreover appeared to admit that she had given Mpofu about R160,000 (then equivalent to roughly £30,000) from the ANC's coffers. Paul Erasmus of the
South African Police The South African Police (SAP) was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the ''de facto'' police force in the territory of South West Africa (Namibia) from 1939 to 1981. After South Af ...
later said that the police's Security Branch had leaked rumours of the affair to the media as part of a so-called Stratcom operation intended to discredit Madikizela-Mandela and the ANC. Mpofu did not ultimately pursue his wrongful dismissal lawsuit.


Advocate of the High Court

Also in 1992, Mpofu completed an LLB at Wits, and the following year he was admitted as an
advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
of the
High Court of South Africa The High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law in South Africa. It is divided into nine provinces of South Africa, provincial divisions, some of which sit in more than one location. Each High Court division has general jurisdiction ov ...
and as a member of the Johannesburg Bar. He practiced law at the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
and, from 1996 to 1997, as a trainee international advocacy teacher at
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. After a brief stint as an acting judge in the Labour Court of South Africa in 2000, he worked as executive director for corporate affairs at Altron Group, an ICT company, from 2000 to 2005. He also acquired a number of business interests during that period, including through
black economic empowerment Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is a policy of the South African government which aims to facilitate broader participation in the economy by black people. A form of affirmative action, it is intended especially to redress the inequalities cr ...
deals.


CEO of SABC: 2005–2009

In June 2005, Mpofu was appointed chief executive officer of the
South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...
(SABC), South Africa's public broadcaster. Until 2008, he served simultaneously as chairman of the board at Boxing South Africa; as of 2009, he also retained a directorship at Deutsche Securities South Africa and shares in the Elephant Consortium, which had a 6.7% stake in Telkom. Early in his tenure at the SABC, in September 2007, Mpofu controversially announced that the SABC would sever ties with the
South African National Editors' Forum The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a South African-based non-profit membership organisation for editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers. The SANEF supports South African journalism through a number of activities rang ...
over the forum's response to a series of critical reports about Health Minister
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang Mantombazana "Manto" Edmie Tshabalala-Msimang Order for Meritorious Service, OMSS (née Mali; 9 October 1940 – 16 December 2009) was a South African politician. She was Deputy Minister of Justice from 1996 to 1999 and served as Minister of He ...
. In addition, ''
Business Day A business day normally means any day except a legal holiday. It may also mean a business day of operation, any of the days an organization operates. It depends on the local workweek which is dictated by local customs, religions, and business ...
'' later pointed out that, during Mpofu's tenure, the SABC required several large bail-outs from the central government. However, the bulk of Mpofu's tenure was dominated by his battles with the SABC board and with Snuki Zikalala, the SABC's head of news and current affairs. His term coincided with the prologue to and aftermath of the ANC's 52nd National Conference, which removed President
Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...
from the ANC presidency and replaced him with
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
. The SABC was thought to be caught up in the ANC's internal factional politics. As early as October 2006, there were media reports that Mpofu and Zikalala had clashed after Zikalala sought to restrict coverage that he thought was critical of Mbeki. In April 2008, Mpofu said publicly that the SABC was facing, and resisting, "political pressure", though he did not say from whom.


Suspensions: 2008

On 6 May, Mpofu suspended Zikalala pending the outcome of a disciplinary inquiry. The next day, the SABC board announced that it viewed Zikalala's suspension as invalid and that it had, in turn, suspended Mpofu pending the outcome of a disciplinary inquiry. Mpofu said that he had suspended Zikalala for leaking SABC documents to other media houses, but media reports suggested that Mpofu had attempted to suspend Zikalala precisely because he suspected that the board intended to suspend him and appoint Zikalala in his place. The board accused Mpofu of "refusal and/or failure to abide and implement decisions of the board". Less than a fortnight later, the
Johannesburg High Court The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law which has general jurisdiction over the South African province of Gauteng and the eastern part of North West province. The main seat of the division is at Pretoria ...
set aside Mpofu's suspension, ruling that the board's decision was invalid because Mpofu had been deliberately excluded from participating in the meeting where the decision was taken. The board was denied leave to appeal the judgement but in mid-June suspended Mpofu for a second time. On that occasion, the board charged him with several internal disciplinary offences, arising primarily from allegations of financial mismanagement but also from allegations that he had ignored or undermined the board's authority. Mpofu said that the charges were "kind of rubbish, really".


Dismissal: 2009

Mpofu was dismissed in January 2009. He initially challenged his dismissal in the Labour Court, but in August 2009, he agreed to withdraw all legal action in exchange for an exit package of R14.1 million. Amid reports that the SABC was in serious financial trouble, Mpofu said that he took "full responsibility for all the decisions I made" at the SABC but argued that he had not really worked at the SABC since March 2008, when his difficulties with the board had begun to predominate. He said:
I do not think there was anything I did or didn’t do because the board pounced on me barely two months after they had arrived. It is unfortunate that this mess they created has cost this much. It’s a lesson for all of us in the future... he financial crisiswas not my mess. I had nothing to do with any of that... I believe that if the board had not changed we wouldn’t have had any of this.
He was replaced at the SABC by Solly Mokoetle and joked that, after his dismissal, he intended to become a "full-time house husband". In June 2010, there were reports – denied by Mpofu – that he was on the shortlist for appointment as chief executive officer at Telkom.


Later legal practice


Marikana Commission: 2012–2014

Mpofu returned to the public eye in 2011 and 2012, when he represented three ANC Youth League leaders –
Julius Malema Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician. He is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a communist political party known for the red berets and military-style outfits worn by its members. Be ...
, Sindiso Magaqa, and
Floyd Shivambu Nyiko Floyd Shivambu (born 1 January 1983) is a South African people, South African politician who served as a member of parliament for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) until 15 August 2024, when he joined Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe (poli ...
– in the internal ANC disciplinary proceedings that ultimately led to Malema's expulsion from the party. According to the ''
Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'', formerly the ''Weekly Mail'', is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, loca ...
'', it was Malema who, later in 2012, recruited Mpofu to represent the mineworkers who had been arrested in the aftermath of the Marikana massacre. Mpofu represented the mineworkers at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry, which ran from 2012 to 2014 under the chairmanship of Ian Farlam. Controversially, he refused to work ''
pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...
'' and withdrew from proceedings briefly between June and October 2013, during which time he lodged a successful court application to have the state cover the mineworkers' legal fees. Towards the end of the Marikana Commission hearings, in August 2014, the media reported that Mpofu had applied for senior counsel (silk) status in the High Court in 2012 but that President
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
had not yet approved the award. While under cross-examination by Mpofu, Deputy President
Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...
alluded to a "friendly" conversation he had with Mpofu the day before, in which he said Mpofu had asked him to put in a good word with Zuma to expedite the process. Mpofu angrily denied having asked for Ramaphosa's assistance. He was awarded silk status the following month.


Nugent Commission and Zondo Commission: 2018–2021

Mpofu represented Tom Moyane, the suspended Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), at the Nugent Commission, which was held in 2018 to investigate allegations of maladministration at SARS during Moyane's tenure. In July 2018, he entered into a highly public spat with
Pierre de Vos Pierre Francois de Vos (born 29 June 1963) is a South African constitutional law academic. He holds the Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Constitutional Governance at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Before taking up that position in July 2009, ...
, a
constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...
expert at the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
, who had written a
blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
which criticised Moyane's submissions to the commission and implied that Mpofu had behaved unethically in advancing those submissions on Moyane's behalf. Mpofu posted a series of angry ripostes on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, alleging that de Vos's piece was "
defamatory Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
, insulting & possibly racist" and threatening to sue him if he did not delete it. De Vos refused. Mpofu also represented Moyane at the State Capture Commission, which investigated allegations that Moyane had presided over
state capture State capture is a type of systemic political corruption in which private interests significantly influence a state's decision-making processes to their own advantage. The term was first used by the World Bank in 2000 to describe certain Central ...
at SARS. In March 2021, Mpofu cross-examined Minister Pravin Gordhan on Moyane's behalf and shortly afterwards entered into an angry exchange with Gordhan and his lawyer, Michelle le Roux, in which he said that "Miss le Roux must shut up when I am speaking" and then, after Gordhan attempted to interject, told Gordhan, "you shut up". The chairman of the commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, lamented Mpofu's behaviour at length, calling it "unacceptable". In March 2022, the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (the Johannesburg Bar) ruled that Mpofu had breached the bar's ethical code, though a separate inquiry by the national Legal Practice Council cleared him on an unprofessional conduct charge in June.


Jacob Zuma criminal charges: 2021–present

In May 2021, Mpofu joined the defence of former President Jacob Zuma, who was facing newly reinstated corruption charges. He was appointed lead counsel in the corruption trial, replacing Muzi Sikhakhane, and he also advised Zuma's defence in the separate
contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...
trial which saw Zuma imprisoned in July 2021. Mpofu has denied accusations that Zuma's strategy in the corruption trial amounts to a Stalingrad defence, intended to delay prosecution indefinitely.


Section 194 Inquiry: 2021–present

Mpofu represented Busisiwe Mkhwebane in her application to interdict
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
's attempts to institute
impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...
proceedings against her and remove her from office as Public Protector. When that application failed, he continued to represent her during the impeachment proceedings instituted in Parliament's Section 194 Enquiry, although he initially claimed that he would not participate in "any of the illegal activities" of the enquiry. Commentators accused Mpofu of applying Zuma's Stalingrad defence strategy to Mkhwebane's defence, attempting to stall the proceedings until late 2023, when Mkhwebane's constitutional term as Public Protector would lapse. Mpofu was also criticised by ANC and opposition Members of Parliament after an angry outburst against the enquiry's chairperson, Qubudile Dyantyi, in September 2022: he told Dyantyi, "You are not entitled to abuse me like you are abusing me. I'm senior to you in many ways... you have the power now, you can exercise it, but you'll pay one day". When asked whether he was threatening Dyantyi, Mpofu responded in the affirmative and then added, "Actually, it is not a threat. It is a promise". In late March 2023, Mkhwebane said that she had stopped giving instructions to Mpofu and his team because the Public Protector's office had refused to pay any further legal fees on her behalf.


Other notable cases

Mpofu has served as counsel in a number of other politically charged cases. He represented ANC politician
Supra Mahumapelo Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo (born 7 June 1968) is a South African politician and singer who was Premier of North West from May 2014 to May 2018 during the 5th North West Provincial Legislature. He formerly served as Speaker of the North ...
when Mahumapelo sought reinstatement as ANC Provincial Chairperson in the North West; later, he represented ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule in his struggle to challenge his suspension and its basis in the ANC's step-aside rule. He also represented
Patricia de Lille Patricia de Lille (née Lindt; born 17 February 1951) is a South African politician who is the current Minister of Tourism and leader of the political party Good. She served as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from 2019 to 2023. S ...
during de Lille's attempt to forestall her removal as Mayor of Cape Town. Other former clients include Fees Must Fall activists at Wits University, including Mcebo Dlamini;
abaThembu The Thembu () are a Xhosa people, Xhosa Nation who inhabited the Kingdom of Thembuland. They were established around the 16th century as one of the Xhosa federations in the Transkei, Transkeian territories. The federation was later annexed by ...
King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, whose claim to the title was challenged by President Zuma; Gareth Cliff, who sued
M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
for sacking him after he publicly defended a derogatory Tweet by Penny Sparrow; and Zandile Mafe, who was accused of setting fire to the Parliament buildings. Commentators have often criticised Mpofu for his defence of politically dubious causes or use of ethically ambiguous legal methods.


Judicial Service Commission: 2017–2022

In September 2017, President Zuma announced that Mpofu had been appointed with immediate effect to serve on the Judicial Service Commission. Mpofu was nominated as one of the two representatives of the General Council of the Bar of South Africa: specifically, he was selected by Advocates for Transformation, a professional group which was entitled to indirect nomination on the commission and therefore to nominate one advocate to represent the bar. He was re-elected to a second two-year term in the seat in 2019. Mpofu was widely criticised for remarks he made in February 2022 when the commission was interviewing candidates to replace Mogoeng Mogoeng as Chief Justice of the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
. In particular, during the interview of a female applicant, Judge Mandisa Maya, he used what was viewed as a "lewd
double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...
", saying that he and Maya had once "spent a night together" –spent a night together studying, he later clarified. In addition, in the phrase of the ''Mail & Guardian'', Mpofu was viewed as having "ambush d another of the applicants,
Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
Judge President Dunstan Mlambo, with questions about unsubstantiated
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
rumours. The
Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...
Society of Advocates wrote to the General Council of the Bar to demand that Mpofu should be recalled from the commission and that his "unacceptable" and sexist remarks should be condemned. In addition, Adriaan Basson of News24 published an editorial which was highly critical of Mpofu's conduct – calling him "a scoundrel, immoral and a nincompoop" – and which intensified the controversy by inviting a response from twenty other advocates (among them Dumisa Ntsebeza, Nomgcobo Jiba, and Menzi Simelane) who accused Basson of attacking Mpofu with "gratuitous insults typical of the colonial and barbaric attitude of whiteness towards Africans". In March 2022, Advocates for Transformation announced that Mpofu's term on the Judicial Service Commission had in fact expired on 10 February; the group had asked Mpofu to extend his tenure to maintain "continuity" until the Chief Justice interviews were finalised. His replacement was announced on 18 March.


Political career in the EFF


Defection from the ANC: 2013

In early November 2013, Mpofu submitted to a resignation letter to his local ANC branch in Saxonwold and announced that he had joined the
Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...
(EFF), a new breakaway party established by Julius Malema after his expulsion from the ANC. At that time, Mpofu was representing the Marikana mineworkers, a cause on which he and Malema had reportedly collaborated. Indeed, the ''Mail & Guardian'' said that he had been "doing Malema's bidding (behind the scenes) way before his announcement was made, helping in attempts at courting crucial
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
individuals to fill out the structure of the organisation". Upon his departure, Mpofu criticised the ANC pointedly, saying that the ANC's "internal paralysis" meant that "it's a question of time before it renders itself irrelevant to the broader revolution". He said that the ANC had abandoned the
Freedom Charter The Freedom Charter was the statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies: the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats ...
and wrote in an opinion piece:
Is it possible that the ANC is a victim of its own inability to commit to a particular ideological outlook as well as its refusal to transform itself into a political party remaining, rather, a
liberation movement A liberation movement is an organization or political movement leading a rebellion, or a non-violent social movement, against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperiali ...
and a so-called
broad church Broad church is latitudinarian churchmanship in the Church of England in particular and Anglicanism in general, meaning that the church permits a broad range of opinion on various issues of Anglican doctrine. In the American Episcopal Churc ...
? This stance has rendered the ANC vulnerable to being hijacked by right-wingers, multibillionaires and market fundamentalists, robbing it of its very soul and provoking the refrain from its dejected members that goes: 'This is not the ANC I joined.'
Ahead of the 2014 general election, the first contested by the EFF, Mpofu stood as the EFF's candidate for election as
Premier of Gauteng The premier of Gauteng is the head of government of the Gauteng province of South Africa. The current Premier (South Africa), premier of Gauteng is Panyaza Lesufi, a member of the African National Congress, who was elected on 6 October 2022, fo ...
. He was therefore ranked first on the party's provincial list in the election and he comfortably secured one of the eight seats won by the EFF in the
Gauteng Provincial Legislature The Gauteng Provincial Legislature is the legislature of the South African province of Gauteng. It is a unicameral body of 80 members elected every five years. The current legislature, the seventh, was 2019 Gauteng provincial election, elected on ...
. However, in the aftermath of the election, the EFF said that Mpofu had asked to decline his seat in order to concentrate on his work at the Marikana Commission and in building the EFF's organisational structures.


EFF National Chairperson: 2014–2019

In mid-December 2014, at the EFF's first national conference, Mpofu was elected unopposed as National Chairperson of the EFF, serving under Malema as EFF President. In 2015, he established the party's National Disciplinary Committee. However, during his five-year term in the party office, he was recused from two of his responsibilities as party chairperson because of his "hectic schedule" as an advocate. In the 2019 general election, Mpofu again stood as a candidate; he was listed third on the party list for election to the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
(both on the national list and in each of the nine provincial constituencies). Although he therefore won election to a seat in Parliament, he again declined to accept it and was not sworn in. As the end of his term as National Chairperson approached, Mpofu ran for re-election to high party office on a slate of candidates which also included Mandisa Mashego. When the party's second national conference opened on 14 December 2019, Mpofu declined a nomination to stand for re-election as National Chairperson; instead, he accepted a nomination to stand against the incumbent Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu. However, he did not receive enough support from delegates to cross the 30% threshold for inclusion on the ballot. He was succeeded as National Chairperson by
Veronica Mente Ntombovuyo Veronica Mente is a South African politician who served as the National Chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from December 2019 until December 2024. She is also a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa, having t ...
. He said that he was unbothered about the election result, saying that – as with
Kgalema Motlanthe Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe (; born 19 July 1949) is a South African politician who served as the 3rd president of South Africa from 25 September 2008 to 9 May 2009, following the resignation of Thabo Mbeki. Thereafter, he was deputy president und ...
's challenge to Jacob Zuma at the ANC's 53rd National Conference – "the point of this exercise was not to win" but to assert "the principle that there's no position that is beyond contestation".


MI6 allegations

In a debate in Parliament in 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that he had received intelligence reports claiming that the EFF was "an MI6 project". Ramaphosa was responding to accusations from Julius Malema that he had been an apartheid spy. Mpofu stated that he would shut down the EFF if the claims turned out to be true but shortly afterwards lost his position in the party leadership.


Personal life

Mpofu married Mpumi Mpofu in 2004. She is a public servant and has served as director-general in the
Department of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
and the
Department of Housing The Department of Housing was an Australian government department with responsibility for housing, including the administration of housing schemes and grants that existed between December 1963 and November 1973. Structure The Departm ...
; she was appointed as the Secretary of Defence in 2010. She remained a member of the ANC after her husband's defection to the EFF. He also has a son, Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, with activist and academic Terry Oakley-Smith. In April 2013, while representing mineworkers at the Marikana Commission, Mpofu was stabbed several times in a
mugging Mugging (sometimes called personal robbery or street robbery) is a form of robbery and street crime that occurs in public places, often urban areas at night. It involves a confrontation with a threat of violence. Muggers steal money or person ...
on Eastern Beach in East London. He was hospitalised with a collapsed lung. Two men were convicted of the crime a year later.


Controversies

In October, the tax man was knocking on the door of well known advocate Dali Mpofu for unpaid personal tax worth two million Rands.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mpofu, Dali Living people 1962 births 20th-century South African lawyers 21st-century South African lawyers African National Congress politicians Economic Freedom Fighters politicians University of the Witwatersrand alumni People from East London, South Africa Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2019–2024