By Daanyaal Matthews
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will be commencing their interviews today with over forty candidates expected to be vetted by the judicial body in an aim to be placed in courts in the Republic. This comes despite continuous hindrances from the official opposition, uMkhonto we Sizwe, who directly oppose the interview process following the exclusion of their Chief Whip and disgraced judge, John Hlophe, which the party had challenged in the Johannesburg High Court seeking an urgent interdict against the JSC interview process, which was subsequently overturned by the judiciary.
The party has called the decision by the Johannesburg High Court a ‘disappointment’ and would be considering their options both legally and politically. Alison Tiley, Director at Judges Matter, says this is merely the beginning of the Judge Hlophe saga, as more can be expected before the JSC’s first sitting next year.
“The urgent application is really decided on quite a limited number of factors. It’s not a final determination of rights, and we would wait to see that part B of the application is only going to be heard; we would hope, in probably weeks, if not months, but certainly before the next JSC hearing, which would be in April of 2025,” theorized Alison.
The concerns around the possible appointment of disgraced former judge John Hlophe have also raised concerns on the future of the JSC and queries on the standards the JSC hopes to uphold as the bastion for jurisprudence in the Republic. For Alison Tiley, this would relate to a code of conduct, something that she and others are waiting to see introduced, stating:
“One of the things that we’re interested in is whether the JSC is going to develop a code of conduct for itself. They have a list of criteria for what they’re looking for in a candidate, but this is a different thing. It’s a question of, well, as JSC commissioners, what should they and shouldn’t they be doing?”
VOCNews
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