Cape Town - The civic lobbying movement, Black People’s National Crisis Committee (BPNCC), under their newly launched campaign #JusticeForHlophe, is expected to march to Parliament on Thursday to hand over a memorandum opposing the suspension recommendation made against Western Cape High Court Judge President John Hlophe by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The organisation has called on society to stand with Hlophe “in defence of justice against white vultures and hyenas who are hellbent and driven by their racist agenda to undermine black professionals”.
On Wednesday BPNCC officially launched their campaign showing their support to Hlophe who faces possible impeachment if the suspension recommendation is given the green light by the presidency.
The recommendation came after Hlophe was found guilty of gross misconduct by the Judicial Tribunal after he was accused of having attempted to influence the outcome of former president Jacob Zuma’s corruption charges in 2008.
The organisation has described the actions as a “well-co-ordinated political agenda orchestrated by the DA, Freedom Under Law (FUL) and mainstream media”.
BPNCC national convenor Chumani Maxwele said they had noted with “deep concern” the recent decision and slammed a number of journalists, politicians and individuals in the legal fraternity.
The DA and FUL did not responded to enquiries by deadline on Wednesday.
“We note that these developments represent a serious reversal of the political gains of transformation in South Africa, particularly in the judiciary …. This case for us has become what it has been, which is a political campaign against JP Hlophe.
“As BPNCC we have taken interest in this case more so because of the political interest of white organisation such as (the) DA and FUL in this case. It seems to us that the case has become more political than legal and this is due to the fact that (the) DA and FUL have made JP Hlophe their political project, hence he must be suspended and impeached at all costs notwithstanding the lack of legal grounds to do so,” said Maxwele.
Representing the legal fraternity, under the banner Section27, advocate Fairuz Seria said: “We find, as far as Project 27 is concerned, that this is a persecution of JP Hlophe and with the signing of the petition that the president considers this (recommendation) very carefully especially since there are quite a few judges who are also sitting with misconduct charges yet they are being appointed to positions.”
Black Lawyers Association (BLA) president Bayethe Maswazi recently called on the JSC and Ramaphosa to make a “careful appraisal of the relevant facts and consider possible threats to the administration of justice and the repute of the judiciary if a judge who is a subject of the section 177(1) process is not suspended”.
Leave to appeal proceedings brought by Hlophe are pending at the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Cape Times