SA’s Chief Justice censured

JOHANNESBURG - Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has been ordered to apologise and retract comments he made about Israel during a webinar last year.

Mogoeng became involved in the political controversy surrounding South Africa's policy towards Israel, and the conduct of its diplomatic relations, by criticising the state's official stance and putting forward his own views.

The Judicial Conduct Committee was tasked with probing several complaints against Mogoeng and whether he contravened the Code of Judicial Conduct.

The complaints were brought by Africa 4 Palestine,

SA BDS Coalition and Women's Cultural Group.

The committee found, among others, that Mogoeng involved himself in political controversy or activity.

It also considered remarks he made at a prayer meeting, where he stood by his refusal to retract or apologise for any part of what he said during the webinar, "even if 50 million people were to march every day for 10 years for me to do so, I would not apologise. If I perish, I perish."

Judge Phineas Mojapelo said: "The offending utterances made by the respondent CJ at the virtual prayer meeting and repeated in his Response 2 are particularly aggravating. the

They are brazenly defiant. It is important that those utterances must be unreservedly retracted and withdrawn to return and maintain the public image of the judiciary to its rightful place."

Mojapelo said Mogoeng may wish to criticise the policies of the executive and legislative arms of the state, but "he cannot do so publicly without raising controversy, that is, involving himself and his office in political controversy."

He said this was done "on the eve before the appropriate SA executive authority was to make a statement on the same issue in the UN Security Council." . – NEWS24.