The office of the Chief Justice has clarified the issue of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng taking long leave. In a statement, it says Regulation 3 of the Judges’ Remuneration and Conditions of Employment Act of 2001 provides for Judges to take leave of three and half months for every period of four years’ actual service.
This leave is referred to as long leave within the Judiciary.
The Chief Justice’s four-year cycle to take his long leave commenced on the 1st of July 2018, but he was unable to take it, due to his judicial and extrajudicial commitments.
It further states that judges’ leave is not cumulative and therefore had the Chief Justice not taken his leave, it would have been forfeited.
Judge Sisi Khampepe has been appointed as the country’s Acting Chief Justice.
Media Statement: Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s long leave. #ocj_rsa pic.twitter.com/uBb1f0O41H
— RSAJudiciary (@OCJ_RSA) May 6, 2021
Mogoeng’s leave comes five months before his term as the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court comes to an end in October this year.
In the past few months, Mogoeng has been controversial in his comments over Israel and the COVID-19 vaccines.
Last month, he appealed against the Judicial Conduct Committee’s finding of misconduct where he was ordered to apologise for criticising South Africa’s foreign policy on Israel.
