By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The professional organisation representing advocates has lodged a complaint for the removal of Dali Mpofu as one of the representative of the profession on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on the grounds that he has brought the profession and the administration of justice into disrepute.
This followed Mpofu’s conduct towards Gauteng judge president and acting chief justice Raymond Zondo and his inappropriate comments directed at the president of the Supreme Court of Appeal judge Mandisa Maya during interviews of four candidate judges for the position of chief justice that the JSC undertook last week.
The professional organisation added that Mpofu “descended into character assassination” during the interview of Judge President Dunstan Mlambo, when an allegation/rumour of sexual harassment was brought up.
It called on the General Council of the Bar (GCB) to issue a statement “deprecating the manner in which the interviews were conducted and disassociating the GCB from the actions and statements of Mpofu SC”.
The chairperson of the GCB, Craig Watt-Pringle, acknowledged receipt of the complaint in a form of a letter.
He said there had been several calls with a similar stance on the matter.
“My executive committee is currently dealing with it,” he told Media24 on Tuesday afternoon.
Watt-Pringle added that his concern was the lack of dignity for the candidates, and the unfairness of the process that unfolded.
The organisation said that Mpofu had brought the GCB and the profession, in general, into disrepute.
“The political activities and allegiances of Mpofu SC are well-known. As a commissioner representing the GCB, in particular, and the profession, in general, his duty is not to promote his political views, but rather the interests of the profession and to do so in a respectful, dignified, objective and professional manner. In this, Mpofu SC has fallen short,” the organisation said.
Meanwhile twenty advocates, including six senior counsel, have come out in defence of Dali Mpofu SC in response to an opinion piece by Media24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson which referred to Mpofu as a “nincompoop” and “scoundrel”.
Basson was commenting on last week’s Judicial Service Commission (JSC) interviews of candidates for chief justice.
Ntsebeza was one of the senior counsel who put their name to the statement. The other silks were Muzi Sikhakhane SC, Fana Nalane SC, Thabani Masuku SC, Elizabeth Baloyi-Mere SC and Mahlape Sello SC. Also on the list is former national director of public prosecutions Menzi Simelane and former deputy national director of public prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba.
The statement said while Basson was entitled to differ with Mpofu, his gratuitous insults were rooted in a “colonial racist heritage”.