Hlophe's suspension reaffirms he was not suitable to lead the court, says DA
Image: File/ Trevor Samson
The DA has welcomed the “long-overdue” suspension of Western Cape judge president John Hlophe.
The presidency announced on Wednesday that the suspension of Hlophe was with immediate effect but said it was “on condition that Hlophe completes all part-heard matters and reserved judgments”.
The suspension is pending a decision of the National Assembly on whether the judge president should be impeached.
Earlier this year, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) made a finding of gross misconduct against Hlophe and recommended that he be suspended in terms of the constitution.
“This affirms the 12-year-long position of the DA that judge Hlophe was not fit and proper to lead the Western Cape high court.
“It is regrettable that this suspension was unnecessarily delayed by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa, as this has resulted in Hlophe inflicting further damage to the judiciary through a variety of reckless statements while also participating in JSC interviews for the Western Cape High Court,” DA shadow minister of justice and constitutional development Glynnis Breytenbach said.
She said the decision to suspend Hlophe will help restore credibility to the Western Cape division of the high court.
“The DA calls on parliament to proceed without further delay to institute removal proceedings.”
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