Africa4Palestine seeks ‘reconciliatory’ meeting with Mogoeng
The human rights organization Africa4Palestine says it has written to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng requesting a meeting to iron out their differences.
This comes after the Judicial Conduct Committee ordered Mogoeng to apologise for pro-Israel remarks he made last year.
In a webinar in June, Mogoeng lamented what he believed to be South Africa’s lopsided attitude towards the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Africa4Palestine laid a complaint against Mogoeng over the remarks, putting the head of the country’s judiciary on the wrong side of the law.
Last week Thursday, Mogoeng was given 10 days to issue an apology to Africa 4 Palestine, SA BDS Coalition and the Women’s Cultural Group.
Africa4Palestine spokesperson Tisetso Magama says the meeting would be held in a spirit of reconciliation.
“Having taken a view, especially public comments by people, we thought it would be important for us to meet with the Chief Justice – firstly to dispel what we think are incorrect notions out there, secondly to deal a blow to those who want to exploit this matter for political reasons and thirdly, of course to take the Chief Justice up on his own commitment to dialogue and reconciliation.”
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He adds the organisation is concerned the matter is being used as a political ploy.
“There are organisations out who are, of course for their own ulterior motives, trying to encourage the Chief Justice to appeal because theirs is a much larger political project in support of the apartheid state of Israel,” says Magama.
“For them they see this as a blow to whatever political capital they might have accumulated in the course of Chief Justice’s comments last year but also the threat to that capital that is posed by a retraction, an apology by the Chief Justice.”
Magama says the organisation isn’t interested in swaying Mogoeng into an apology.
“The Chief Justice should be left alone to come to his own conclusion on the basis of his own convictions about this matter. We are confident that the Chief Justice knows what is best from his own point of view for the country and as a citizen of this country, and the Chief Justice of this country.”
He further reiterated that Africa4Palestine doesn’t harbour any ill-feelings towards Mogoeng.
It’s not yet clear if Mogoeng will bow to the committee’s order or if he will appeal the decision.
