One of the commissioners of the Judicial Service Commission and lawyer Mvuzo Notyesi has described the letter from Rhodes University professor Helen Cruz as vocal silence. Notyesi also claims that JSC commissioners have been abused in the media in the past week.
He has singled out retired Judge Johan Kriegler who has criticised the way interviews have been conducted. Notyesi told Supreme Court of Appeal Deputy President Xola Petse that the letter should be ignored.
This after Petse read the letter of Cruz to commissioners after the interview with Chief Justice nominee Raymond Zondo on Friday evening. Notyesi was unhappy with the letter.
“There is no way that when we conduct the proceedings, somebody simply write(s) a letter. If anyone as it is usual, is not happy with the proceedings, we will deal with them in a particular fashion, so we don’t have a process where people are writing. For instance, we have been abused the whole week here by retired Justice Kriegler who is keeping on insulting commissioners and so on all those things,” adds Notyesi.
Another JSC Commissioner Dali Mpofu also suggested that the letter should be disregarded as it indirectly implicates some commissioners.
Mpofu says,“I do agree that it must also be discussed tomorrow, but once something like this has now been aired in the public, it’s all very well something must happen either from the chair or from the house – that it must also be expunged, because some of us who are referred whether directly or indirectly have been abused as commissioner Notyesi is saying for the whole week by all sorts of people just to be polite.”
Petse made a ruling for the discussion on the contents of the letter to be removed from the records of the proceedings. “I proposed that you know, the content of that letter was not meant for public record and so it should be expunged from the public record and we should adjourn at this stage.”
JSC Interviews | Justice Raymond Zondo concludes a 12 hour hot interview
Zondo criticised for discussing Malema with Zuma
During Zondo’s interview, EFF Leader and JSC Commissioner Julius Malema told Chief Justice nominee Raymond Zondo that he brought the name of the judiciary into disrepute by discussing politicians with other fellow politicians. Malema questioned Zondo about why he visited former president Jacob Zuma when he was still a judge. Zondo told Malema that one of the reasons related to his concern about Malema’s comments that he would “Kill for Zuma”, when Malema was still ANC Youth League leader.
Malema took on Zondo:
“Don’t you think that it is actually not in the best interest of the Judiciary and for the judges to go and discuss other politicians? If you are bringing in age, the age I was, it’s immaterial to me. I’m a politician, I’m a President of an organisation even at that time. I was not leader of a creche. I was a political leader of an organisation with rich history in this country. And for you to go as a judge to go and discuss another politician with another politician, – that amounts to bringing the judiciary into disrepute,” says Malema.
In response to Malema, Zondo insisted that as a citizen of the country he was concerned about the “Kill for Zuma” comments that Malema had made.
“I don’t think it creates a problem at all commissioner Malema. I think as a citizen, I am entitled if violence may be threatened and I know somebody who can do something to prevent people being killed and so on, I think I am entitled even if I am a judge. If I know that person, I’m entitled to go to that person and say please, we don’t want violence. If there is violence, ordinary people we suffer – we’ll be killed and of course they might not agree but I think as a citizen, I’m entitled to do that. And I have never held any strong views against you commissioner Malema, politically or otherwise. Actually I have respect for you. I never had any strong views against you.”
JSC Interview | Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Part 2
