After being removed from office by parliament, EFF leader Julius Malema promised impeached Western Cape judge President John Hlophe he would “never go to bed hungry.”
By 305 votes to 27, Parliament on Wednesday approved Hlophe’s removal, putting an end to a drawn-out legal dispute that had begun in 2008. In March 2008, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) discovered that Hlophe had sought to sway judges Chris Jafta and Bess Nkabinde of the Constitutional Court to find in favor of former president Jacob Zuma and the weapons company Thint (formerly Thales) over corruption allegations.
My brother, you need not be afraid; you will be cleared by history. Malema stated, “My immediate proposal is that you form something like Freedom Under Law or the Helen Suzman Foundation and you continue to mark these racists. We should meet soon to plot the way forward.”
“The war cry ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’ serves as inspiration for our promise that you will never be hungry before bed. May 29th is the day of your independence, JP Hlophe. We adore you.
Malema hasn’t always been kind of Hlophe. The judge was dubbed “the most worrying thing about our judiciary” by Malema in 2017. It appears that he has changed his mind after seven years. Omphile Maotwe, an EFF member, chastised ANC lawmakers for voting against Hlophe, stating,
“Hlophe, we shall smile again.” The sun will rise once more. We’re going to beat these liars. The ANC has to be driven from office.
Despite being found guilty of misbehavior by the JSC, Hlophe blamed political parties’ influence for his misfortunes in an EFF podcast with Maotwe last month. He asserted that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to suspend him in December 2022 was made for political reasons.
Read Also: John Hlophe stripped of ‘salary for life’, becomes first impeached judge in SA
I was placed on suspension in 2008 when this all began. I willingly accepted a suspension, which meant I missed 18 months of competition. On September 29, 2009, the JSC gave me the all-clear. I returned and continued working until December 17, 2022, when I was suspended,” he stated.
According to Hlophe, DA federal chairperson Helen Zille was the driving force behind the Western Cape government’s contestation of the case.
“This was revived and restarted by political parties including the DA, Freedom Under Law, and Helen Zille. It was evident to me that Ramaphosa’s suspension of me was motivated by politics. Since Ramaphosa is the head of state and a politician, whatever choice he makes is political.
“It is unprecedented in any civilized society for an individual to face two different suspensions for the same offense. It doesn’t take place. I can see clearly that he acted politically rather than lawfully. He was giving in to some sort of political coercion.
Glynnis Breytenbach, a DA MP advocate, Praised the House for Impeaching Hlophe.
Breytenbach stated, “More than 15 years later, the National Assembly has adopted a resolution supporting the JSC’s finding that Hlophe should be removed as a judge, confirming the DA’s position that Hlophe lacks the integrity to be a judge.”
“The DA is relieved that this case is now closed, but we are still concerned that it took over 15 years to remove Hlophe following the 2008 misconduct complaint. The lengthy and intricate procedure involved numerous investigations, hearings, and JSC discussions. Legal complications and political meddling also caused delays in the process.
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