Africa4Palestine says it “welcomes victory” after retired South Africa chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng was ordered to apologise for pro-Israel comments he made in a webinar.
Mogoeng made the comments On 23 June 2020 while participating in a webinar with the Chief Rabbi
of South Africa, Rabbi Warren Goldstein, hosted by an Israeli newspaper.
The retired chief justice had his appeal against an earlier ruling turned down and on Thursday.
“To sum up, the appeal [by Chief Justice Mogoeng] against the decision upholding the complainants’ complaints based on Articles 12(1)(b) and 14(2)(a) of the Code, is dismissed. The Chief Justice was correctly found to have breached these Articles,” said the JSC.
The remedial action imposed on Mogoeng (in terms of s 17(8) of the JSC Act) is to issue an apology worded as follows:
“I, Mogoeng Mogoeng, the former Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, hereby apologise unconditionally for becoming involved in political controversy through my utterances at the online seminar (webinar) hosted by the Jerusalem Post on 23 June 2020, in which I participated.’
Mogoeng was ordered to issue the apology, with his signature, within 10 days.
#Africa4Palestine said it welcomes the favourable outcome.
“We are also affirmed by the checks and balances keeping South Africa’s Judiciary fair and impartial,” said #Africa4Palestine.
“This groundbreaking and historic outcome by South Africa’s Judicial Conduct Committee has shown in practical terms that judges must be accountable for their behaviour and no one is above reproach.
“We maintain that for anyone to condone Israel’s apartheid regime is morally repugnant.”