Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng says that it is unacceptable that 25 years into democracy South Africa still struggles with racism, unemployment and inequality. Mogoeng was delivering the 17th annual Mandela Lecture earlier today.
He was speaking at the function at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus.
Mogoeng says the Constitution is a transformative tool and all South Africans should know their rights as enshrined in it.
Mogoeng Mogoeng added that ethical judiciary plays a critical role in ensuring the implementation of the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The Chief Justice says the judiciary is a key player, along with the executive and the legislature, in achieving social justice in South Africa.
He says Nelson Mandela acknowledged that each branch is essential to the functioning of democracy and one should not control the others.
Justice Mogoeng was delivering the 17th annual Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg under the theme “Constitutionalism as an Instrument for Transformation”.
“Because of the critical role that the Constitutional Court and the judiciary in general have to play in transforming our society through the constitution we owe it to this country and generations to come to make sure that we don’t have a compromised judiciary.”
“Because there are times when you can tell certain people are being shielded from being asked critical questions and the question is when that happens who is doing it and what is the agenda?”
“If people are now caucusing you must know there is an attempt to corrupt the judiciary, to capture the judiciary and a captured of judiciary will never be able to use the constitution as an instrument of transformation. “
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