By Deon de Lange and Chiara Carter
Controversial Cape Judge President John Hlophe wants the government to buy him a Porsche.
In July, Hlophe asked the department of transport and public works in Cape Town to replace his current Mercedes-Benz ML500 with a Porsche Cayenne S costing more than R828 000.
Judges are entitled to use a luxury vehicle bought and maintained by the state for official and unofficial purposes. The conditions governing these deals are decided by the minister of justice with the concurrence of the minister of transport.
The transport department's current policy is that a judge can get a replacement car once a vehicle has clocked 160 000km or is four years old.
The replacement vehicle may not cost more than a Mercedes-Benz S350 (R750 000) or BMW 740i (starting price of R743 000). The old cars are then auctioned off, and the judges are allowed to buy them back if they so choose.
"What has this got to do with you? My purchase of a vehicle has got absolutely nothing to do with you," Judge Hlophe said when approached for comment on Friday. When reminded that the vehicle would be bought with taxpayers' money, he said a request for a vehicle that was above the prescribed value threshold would "never, ever be approved".
Judge Hlophe did complain that he was currently driving a "2003" model that is "four years old", implying that it was due for replacement.
Although he apparently negotiated a good price for the Porsche he desires, his request has been stonewalled because his Merc has done less than half the requisite 160 000km. The Porsche also falls outside the stipulated price range and would be expensive to maintain.
The Western Cape provincial department said in a statement that it was a service provider to the department of justice to supply vehicles.
"As a department we are not in a position to comment on issues involving employees."
Justice Ministry spokesperson Zolile Nqayi said the department of justice had neither bought nor ordered a new car for the judge president.
Senior figures in the legal world and politicians recently called on Judge Hlophe to step down after he was given a slap on the wrist by the Judicial Service Commission for failing to disclose that he was on the payroll of the Oasis Group when he granted the JSC permission to sue fellow judge Siraj Desai.