[ad_1]
For Loyiso Sidimba 
5h ago
Johannesburg – Outgoing Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng defiantly told retired Gauteng Vice President Phineas Mojapelo that the Palestine-Israel dispute was peripheral and not inherently South African in his response to complaints against him.
Pressure has increased on Judge Mogoeng to comply with Judge Mojapelo’s Judicial Conduct Committee decision ordering him to unconditionally apologize and retract his pro-Israel views made in June last year.
Judge Mogoeng said in a webinar organized by The Jerusalem Post that, as a Christian, he had an obligation to love Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, which means the peace of that country.
“If I curse Abraham and Israel, almighty God will curse me too. I can’t do anything, as a Christian, other than love and pray for Israel because I know that Israel’s hatred for me and my nation can only attract unprecedented curses, ”he said at the time.
However, in his decision, Mojapelo ordered Mogoeng to read his unconditional apology and retraction for his pro-Israel comments at a meeting of all serving Constitutional Court judges and publish it.
However, in her two responses to complaints against her brought by # Africa4Palestine, the South African BDS Coalition (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and the Women’s Cultural Group, Mogoeng was defiant and insisted that there was no constitutional value that undermine in their statements. .
“Israeli-Palestinian politics or issues are not an integral part of South African politics … They are peripheral and not inherently South African in character, although they deserve South African attention,” he responded to the complaints.
Mogoeng told Mojapelo that the code did not prohibit the participation of a member of the judiciary in extrajudicial activities, including those embodied in the rights as citizens subject to certain qualifications.
“Mature democracies do not penalize judges for having strong opinions about Christianity or any religion. They insist on transparency. That should also apply to South Africa, ”Mogoeng said.
Mogoeng, who will retire later this year, argued that judges have fundamental rights and freedoms and should not be unnecessarily censored, gagged or gagged.
Mojapelo discovered that Mogoeng had been involved in a political controversy in violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has urged Mogoeng to comply with the Mojapelo ruling, saying his statements imply that he cannot feel any outrage at the injustices suffered by the Palestinians.
“The statements by Chief Justice Mogoeng implied that he could not feel any outrage at the injustices suffered by the Palestinian people, the victims of Israeli apartheid,” the SACP said.
The Media Review Network described Mojapelo’s decision as historic and sends a clear message that the pro-Israel lobby and its supporters “cannot use members of the judiciary to promote their global propaganda campaign to justify and normalize their genocide, epistemicide. , ethnic cleansing and colonization. of Palestine ”.
According to South Africa’s Friends of Israel, Mogoeng’s comments were legitimate, fair and uncontroversial and protested the committee’s decision, warning that it could have a chilling effect on future behavior, which would be unacceptable in a constitutional democracy.
The Zionist Federation of South Africa encouraged Judge Mogoeng to make the committee’s decision on the review.
Nathi Mncube, a spokeswoman for the judiciary, told Independent Media that she would comment once she had an official statement to make.
Political Bureau
[ad_2]
