ANC apologises for using deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya on campaign poster without consent

The ANC has apologised to the office of the chief justice (OCJ) after they were slammed for using deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya’s face on an election campaign poster.

Maya’s face was plastered on an ANC poster which was uploaded to their X page to encourage citizens to register to vote, adding that “the future is transformation” while mentioning that Maya was the first female deputy chief justice.

The OCJ said this was inappropriate and instructed the party to delete the post as the ANC was not authorised by Maya or the OCJ for her image to be used.

“For the record, deputy chief Justice Maya is not a member of the ANC or any political party ... This unauthorised use of the deputy chief justice’s image has the potential to unduly bring the judiciary into disrepute as well as undermining the integrity of the judiciary. Section 165(2) of the constitution provides that the courts are independent and subject only to the constitution and the law, which they must apply without fear, favour or prejudice,” the OCJ said on Saturday.

However, judges are not allowed to be members of a political party as stated in the Code of Judicial Conduct.

The party was instructed to remove the poster from all online platforms and to publicly apologise to Maya.

The ANC has since taken down the poster and publicly apologised on X, saying their intention was to celebrate transformation.

“The ANC regrets any offence caused to the deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya when a poster with her image was posted on our X page without her consent,” the party said.

“We intended to celebrate the significant progress and transformation made in all areas of society, including the judiciary, where justice Maya is widely respected.

“The ANC unreservedly apologises to the DCJ on this oversight.”

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