Judge resigns from KZN Blind and Deaf Society

BARELY a month after he vowed to save the cash strapped KZN Blind and Deaf Society from closing its doors, former Constitutional Court Justice Zak Yacoob has resigned.

Justice Yacoob, who chaired the society’s board, recently took over the day-to-day operations of the organisation after its director, Shamilla Surjoo, was dismissed following an internal disciplinary hearing.

Now the organisation has been left without leadership and is struggling to stay afloat.

Yesterday, Justice Yacoob confirmed he had resigned on Friday, but refused to divulge the reason.

Last month, he was embroiled in a bitter public spat with Surjoo after her dismissal. Justice Yacoob had accused her of not doing her job after it emerged that the society’s financial officer had allegedly stolen R12 million from the organisation’s bank accounts over a six-year period. The woman had reported directly to Surjoo.

Justice Yacoob said his resignation was “part of my process of limiting my public life… I really don’t want to get into it”, he said.

However, The Mercury has seen an email Justice Yacoob sent to his colleagues on Friday notifying them of his resignation. He said he could have resigned “simply because of my moral responsibility, my sense of guilt and my inability to put the society right, now or in the future”.

“However there is more. I sense a lack of confidence in me growing in various circles, and untrue rumours are being spread about me anonymously, and the hearers of the rumours prefer to believe the rumour-mongers.

He said: “The problems I have found are so huge that I certainly cannot fix them. It is too much for me. I took upon myself a job which I should never have done. Hopefully, I have not harmed the society by doing so. My intention was the contrary,” he said.

Justice Yacoob refused to comment on the email.