Judges Matter welcomes Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe’s suspension

NGO Judges Matter has welcomed the suspension of Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe.

The office of the Presidency announced Hlophe’s suspension on Wednesday pending the outcome of an impeachment vote by the National Assembly.

President Cyril Ramaphosa received a report by the Judicial Services Commission in July.

The commission found that Hlophe was guilty of gross misconduct for trying to influence Constitutional Court justices Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta in a case involving former President Jacob Zuma and arms company, Thint.

The matter dates back to the 2008 corruption case in the multi-billion rand arms deal.

Judges Matter researcher, Mbekezeli Benjamin: “The incident is unfortunate. It’s not good for a judge to be found guilty of gross misconduct. The more a judge who has been found guilty of gross misconduct stays in office, it tarnishes the reputation of the judiciary.”

While Benjamin said that Hlophe’s conduct brought the Constitutional Court into disrepute, he believed that the country’s judiciary remained independent and impartial.

“We can be certain that the judges of the Constitutional Court, right now, have the integrity to be in the highest level of our court system.”