Mogoeng Mogoeng ordered to apologise for pro-Israel remarks
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has been ordered 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.
He added that the country’s history of forgiveness and understanding should inform its approach to peace making in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Unimpressed, several lobby groups took Mogoeng to task over his comments, laying a complaint against the Chief Justice at the Judicial Service Commission.
Africa 4 Palestine, SA BDS Coalition and the Women’s Cultural Group were among the complainants.
On Thursday, the Judicial Conduct Committee ruled in their favour, giving the head of the judiciary 10 days to issue a public apology.
“As the proven judicial misconduct arise from the statements made at one occasion, namely at the webinar on 23 June 2020, they are all taken together for the purpose of remedial steps. The offending utterances made by the respondent CJ at the virtual Prayer Meeting and repeated in his Response 2 are particularly aggravating. They are brazenly defiant. It is important that that those utterances must be unreservedly retracted and withdrawn to return and maintain the public image of the judiciary to its rightful place,” the committee said in a statement.
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Director of the SA BDS Coalition Muhammed Desai has welcomed the decision.
“We feel it’s not only a fair decision but it’s also a strong affirmation of our judiciary,” he says.
“All justices need to uphold, not only the Constitution but also the JSC code of conduct in order not to bring the judiciary into disrepute and to ensure that fairness is exercised by our courts and that people are confident in our court.
“When the Chief Justice makes such brazen comments, such ridiculous comments, he brings the judiciary into disrepute.”
Despite Mogoeng’s previous refusal to apologise for the remarks, Desai says he’s optimistic Mogoeng will abide by the order.
“Today is a good day for justice and I think it reminds us that we have a functioning judiciary.”
It’s not the first time the head of the judiciary has been in hot water over comments he’s made publicly.
Read the full ruling by the Judicial Conduct Committee below:
Mogoeng Mogoeng ordered to apologise for pro-Israel remarks by Nokukhanya Mntambo on Scribd
