Malema will not retract his recent utterances against a magistrate

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Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema will not retract his recent utterances against a magistrate in East London, whom he accused of corruption and incompetence. This comes after the judicial watchdog Judges Matter requested that Malema apologise and withdraw the statements which the organisation described as “damaging to the judiciary”.

“We will come back here and to sit and listen to that incompetent magistrate who comes late to court, who can’t get her papers in order, who can’t read her own judgments,” says Malema.

The latest utterances against a judicial officer who is presiding over Malema’s trial for the alleged discharge of a firearm in public will not be followed with an apology, despite calls for him to retract the said statements.

“There is nothing wrong with what I said about her, nothing wrong at all and I will not apologise. They tried me earlier with some concocted charge there in Parliament that I said things about judges. I will never stop talking about judges because we must never make judges God, they too are individuals,” Malema added.

Malema’s utterances garnered responses from the Ministry of Justice who condemned the attack adding that directing sensational conspiracy theories at judicial officers is unacceptable.

Judges Matter echoed similar statements adding that criticism against judicial officers must be substantiated and measured. The body says they are considering other options, including filing an ethics complaint in Parliament.

“There are also legal provisions which provide for contempt of court in cases where someone or a litigant scandalizes the court through their conduct, comments or actions,” says Mbekezeli Benjamin, Judges Matter: Researcher.

In addition, the Judicial Officers Association of South Africa has written to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on what it terms “unprecedented public attacks on the judiciary” calling for his urgent intervention.