The office of the Chief Justice has objected to an IOL report on Monday, headlined "Mogoeng slams 'white brothers'".
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng had been addressing the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges’ conference in Durban on Women’s Day.
His office said that realising the audience partly comprised white males, he felt constrained to reassure them that he was neither sexist nor racist.
He said: "In case my white brothers in the audience were wondering whether I was racist or sexist; they should rest assured that I am not. If I were racist, then transformation would only benefit black women and if I were sexist, only women would be advantaged by transformation."
He did not refer to impeachment efforts against him by the Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa, nor was anything said that could be justifiably construed to suggest that "white brothers" were behind the much-talked about impeachment proceedings, his office said.
IOL retracts the headline, and a reference to him lashing out at his white brothers. And it apologises to the Chief Justice for its misinterpretation in the editing process.