IMPORTANT: South Africa: Bar: attacks on judges (by ANC & its allies) threaten rule of law

Date Posted: Thursday 31-Jul-2008
[The legal system is being undermined in the same fashion as happened in Zimbabwe. Same thing... judges will become ever more politicised and subservient not to the state but to the PARTY! Jan]

Attacks on judges threaten the foundation of the rule of law, the General Council of the Bar of South Africa said on Tuesday.

"Over time such attacks will erode confidence in the courts and in the judicial system," said council chairperson Patric Mtshaulana.

Recent attacks on the judiciary by African National Congress secretary general Gwede Mantashe, ANC Youth League head Julius Malema and writer RW Johnson were of great concern to the council.

Mtshaulana said the independence of the judiciary was a pillar of democracy.

"[The judiciary is] threatened not only when its institutional independence is under attack through proposed constitutional amendment, but also when politicians and lawyers attack the integrity of individual judges in an unprincipled way to gain a short-term political advantage."



The council called on South Africans to deal with the judiciary, its conduct and its decisions in an "honest and principled" manner and, in the spirit of the Constitution, unreservedly and jealously uphold and protect the rule of law.

Last month, Mantashe was reported to have described the judges as "counter-revolutionary".

The ANC later admitted Mantashe had used the term but said it was not directed at judges.

The party said earlier this month: "Mantashe did not say that the actions of the Constitutional Court judges were counter-revolutionary. But he did say that their actions brought the highest court in the land into disrepute." - Sapa
Source URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20080729162503138C236650

Posted By: Jan
AfricanCrisis Webmaster
Author of: Government by Deception