Impeached judge John Hlophe’s former deputy Patricia Goliath is among those who will be interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to fill the vacancy.
Despite legal action from uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party over Hlophe’s ousting from JSC activities, the commission forged ahead with the two week-long sitting that started last Monday, 7 October.
JSC SEARCHES FOR JOHN HLOPHE’S REPLACEMENT
As previously reported, Hlophe was the judge president of the Western Cape until he was formally removed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March after members of Parliament voted for his impeachment.
Following Hlophe’s impeachment, Goliath has been acting as the judge president of the Western Cape High Court and was the first person to be interviewed by the JSC on Monday.
According to Judges Matter, Goliath has held a prominent position in the South African judiciary, including a year long acting role at the Constitutional Court. This opportunity was spearheaded by former chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, aimed to broaden the pool of candidates by providing acting judges with extensive exposure to the country’s apex court.
Goliath has also presided some of the country’s high-profile cases including the Anene Booysen rape and murder case, sentencing the perpetrator to two life terms.
HLOPHE ACCUSED OF ALLEGED ASSASSINATION PLOT
In 2020, the Mail and Guardian reported that Hlophe and Goliath had been at loggerheads for months after Goliath accused him of gross misconduct and putting the integrity of the courts at risk.
It was also alleged that Hlophe had hired inmates from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal to assassinate Goliath.
The publication further reported that Hlophe allegedly assaulted an unnamed colleague, who had to be persuaded not to lay a criminal complaint. According to reports, the judge in this incident was later revealed to be Mushtak Parker, who later denied the assault took place.
WHO DO YOU THINK THE JSC WILL RECOMMEND TO REPLACE JOHN HLOPHE?
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