The Importance Of Hlophe And Motata’s Impeachment Vote For Judicial Accountability
With the final leg of the Hlophe and Motata now looming in Parliament, we explore the origins of these complaints, and why the impeachment vote is significant.
With the final leg of the Hlophe and Motata now looming in Parliament, we explore the origins of these complaints, and why the impeachment vote is significant.
In 2024, South Africa’s judiciary will face a historic leadership transition. Possibly three of the top four positions in the judicial hierarchy will have new incumbents. This will be the most rapid change in judicial leadership since 1994.
Judges Matter welcomes the majority decision of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional to recommend to the National Assembly that retired Judge Nkola Motata and suspended Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe be removed from office as judges.
Judge Motata is not facing impeachment as a result of drunk driving, Rather it is the result of two other complaints: One, how he defended himself in his criminal trial, and the second is a charge of racism.
What happens now to “drunk” Judge Nkola Motata? It has been 16 years since allegations emerged that on the morning of 6 January 2007 Gauteng High Court Judge Nkola Motata drove his car into a wall while drunk. Following his drunk-driving conviction in a magistrates court, a judicial misconduct complaint filed with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) […]
[MEDIA STATEMENT] 22 June 2023 Judges Matter welcomes the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling that the JSC was wrong in only finding Judge Motata guilty of misconduct, instead of gross misconduct. The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decided today that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) must send Judge Motata to Parliament for a vote on […]
In the early hours of one morning in January of 2007 Judge Motata was driving his motor vehicle along Glen Eagles Road in Hurlingham, Johannesburg, when he crashed into the boundary wall of a residential property owned by Mr Richard Baird. After the crash Judge Motata and Mr Baird became involved in a verbal confrontation, […]
The response to fake news is always tricky – the temptation is overwhelming to jump in and explain in great detail why the news is wrong, misconceived or malicious. The Chief Justice found himself in just such a position and decided to speak out against the allegations. He was joined by Judge Judge President Cagney […]
Throughout the year we write articles to share more information about the JSC, the judges’ interview process and the South African judicial system as a whole. Here is a list of our most popular articles in 2018. 1. The JSC’s uneven line of questioning on judicial transformation Posted: 8 June 2018 Section 174 (2) of […]
According to Business Day, Judge Nkola Motata has instituted a court challenge to the constitutionality of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Act. This system of holding judges to account has been frozen over the last three years as a result of challenges by Judges Jafta and Nkabinde to the tribunal’s constitutionality. It is the structure […]