‘Judge, I think you are captured’

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has accused Judge Moletje Phatudi of allegedly being captured by politicians.

Malema was speaking during the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) interviews of candidates in Johannesburg for 20 vacant posts in South Africa’s superior courts.

The interview process, which started this past Monday, is expected to conclude next Tuesday.

Malema questioned Phatudi’s nonchalance at being nominated by a politician. He didn’t say which politician had nominated Phatudi.

“Judge, I think you are captured because you see nothing wrong with being nominated by a politician and your answer is that it is not from the EFF and ANC and all that.

“The mayor is from the ANC, he’s not from … some church or anything. He’s from the ANC and you see nothing wrong with that.

“Why would a judge who is not captured not see anything wrong with being nominated by a politician, irrespective of the political party, and still not want to disassociate yourself?” Malema asked.

During the interviews, Malema also questioned why South Africa has no court for the scourge of rape and violence inflicted on women.

Malema posed the question about the justice system in South Africa and gender-based violence to Judge Constance Mocumie.

“There is a special court for elections, because these powermongers may feel they have been robbed and they can fight to the point where there is a war. Elections have the potential to cause a civil war in a country. That’s why there must be a speedy process to resolve them so you avoid potential war. That’s why there’s a special court for electoral issues.

“There is no war on elections, but already there is an electoral court,” Malema said. “There is a war on women. When we wake up, we don’t ask if a woman was raped. We ask how many were raped. That’s how abnormal we’ve become as a society.

“We’ve become a sick society, [asking] how many have been killed, not whether a woman has been killed or not. A war has been declared already. Have you not reached the point where we think a special court must be established to deal with these matters in a manner that will send a strong message to the perpetrators,” Malema added.

When we wake up, we don’t ask if a woman was raped. We ask how many were raped. Julius Malema EFF leader