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Parliament, Monday, 28 February 2022 – The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, MP notes the order by the High Court of South Africa, Western Cape Division to suspend the implementation of the sanctions contained in a Joint Committee and Members’ Interest report against Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member, Mr Julius Malema, MP.
The report’s recommendation was that Mr Malema should apologise to Judge Elias Matojane and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for his line of questioning to Judge Matojane during the interviews for a post on the Supreme Court of Appeal. During the interview, Mr Malema asked Judge Matojane about a R500 000 order for damages the judge had made in favour of former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel against the EFF. This followed a claim of nepotism made by the EFF in the appointment of South African Revenue Service Commissioner Edward Kieswetter.
The committee held the view that Mr Malema engaged in a matter directly concerning him and the EFF, placed himself in a position of conflict with Judge Matojane through his questioning and that he breached item 4.1 of the Ethics Code, which states that Members must act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in them in terms of the Constitution to discharge their obligations to Parliament and the public, by placing the public interest above their own.
The sanctions against Mr Malema as contained in the report which was adopted by the National Assembly on 7 December 2021, will now be suspended pending the finalisation of the review application.
In as much as Parliament respects the order of the Court and will abide by it, it is concerned about the manner in which the matter was conducted and is seriously exploring available avenues to deal with its concerns.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
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