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The Inkatha Freedom Party will be taking its fight for justice for 384
political prisoners to the Constitutional Court tomorrow, hoping that
the matter will finally be resolved six years after applications for
presidential pardon were made in terms of the Constitution.

After ignoring the applications for pardon, the former Minister of
Justice Brigitte Mabandla was found guilty of human rights violations
by the South African Human Rights Commission, who ordered her to
finalise the applications within three months - which she simply
ignored.

Subsequently, the IFP took the matter to the High Court of South
Africa who also made a ruling against Mabandla ordering her to
finalise the matter within three months. She ignored the ruling and
applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal. which was
granted. Five judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal unanimoulsy
rejected the appeal. Instead of adhering to this judgement, the
Minister has now appealed to the Constitutional Court.

In addition, the IFP also laid a complaint against the former
President Thabo Mbeki and former Minister Mabandla with Amnesty
International.

The IFP's struggle for justice and human rights will be heard by
Constitutional Court tomorrow.

"The IFP believes that the degree of incompetence and arrogance in the
Ministry is an international scandal and that the gross violation of
the human rights of these prisoners reflects badly on South Africa as
a whole," said Koos van der Merwe, the IFP's Chief Whip and
Spokesperson on Justice.

Van der Merwe added: "Government's deliberate lack of action is
clearly a violation of the spirit of our Constitution and we are
therefore confident that the court will rule in our favour tomorrow."