Johannesburg - A complaint calling for the impeachment of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng is an attack on the transformation of the judiciary, the Black Lawyers' Association said on Thursday.
“There are clearly well-orchestrated campaigns which are galvanised and aimed at bringing down the Constitution's clearly articulated imperatives,” spokeswoman Hlaleleni Kathleen Dlepu said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the Institute for Accountability said its director Paul Hoffman SC laid the complaint in response to a speech Mogoeng made to Advocates for Transformation last month.
The complaint included allegations of contempt of court and attempting to defeat the ends of justice, which could be construed as gross misconduct.
The institute said this could be grounds to justify Mogoeng's impeachment.
In his speech, Mogoeng questioned critics who complained when a white male candidate was not recommended for appointment to the Bench, while those who were appointed were described as “executive toys”.
Dlepu said the organisations which wanted Mogoeng removed were intent on undermining the judicial system, which could create a negative international perception of South Africa.
“The barrage of criticism against the person of the office and person of the chief justice are baseless, unfounded, without merit and falls to be rejected.”
The Judicial Service Commission said on Tuesday that it had received the complaint against Mogoeng.
“The complaint will be dealt with by the judicial conduct committee,” spokesman Sello Chiloane said.
“The chief justice is one of those judges on the committee, and because the matter involves him, they will have to consider how to deal with it. They will handle it in terms of their own processes.”
Sapa