WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-12-15 Time: 01:00:07 Posted By: Jan
By Christelle Terreblanche and Moshoeshoe Monare
Prominent lawyers’ organisations and COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota have slammed ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe for tarring two black judges as “apologists for apartheid”.
Mantashe blasted Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division Bernard Ngoepe and Judge Jerry Shongwe for concurring with a white judge when dismissing the ruling party’s urgent interdict against COPE’s use of the party name.
Speaking at his party’s inaugural congress in Mangaung on Sunday, Lekota criticised Mantashe’s comments.
“Eminent judges of our land, appointed by presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki – have been described as counter-revolutionaries and apartheid apologists,” Lekota said.
“Lately, judges are accused of colluding with COPE whenever they return verdicts not favourable to the rulers of our country.”
He said this raised the question of whether they were insinuating that Mandela and Mbeki themselves may have been counter-revolutionaries.
The national chairperson of Advocates for Transformation, Dumisa Ntsebeza, and Black Lawyers’ Association (BLA) president Andiswa Ndoni called the remarks “inappropriate” and “regrettable”.
Both noted it wasn’t the first time the ANC had attacked the judiciary when a judgment did not go its way.
They were responding on Sunday to Mantashe’s remarks made after a bench of three Pretoria High Court judges – including Ben du Plessis – ruled that COPE was not confusing voters with its name.
In what appeared to be a racial undertone in slamming the judgment, Mantashe said the ANC was paying the price for being “too apologetic about who we are”.
He described the two black judges as “apartheid apologists” for ruling against his party’s claim that it was synonymous with the Congress of the People.
He said he could forgive Du Plessis – a white judge – for not knowing the “historical facts”, but described the two other judges as “apartheid apologists”. He did not refer to their race though.
Ntsebeza said it was time for politicians to stop casting aspersions on the judiciary every time they lose.
“I have always thought Mantashe a sensible person, but this is out of order. If they continue, it will be undermining the integrity of the institution.”
Ndoni, speaking for the BLA, said that although the ruling party always said it respected the constitution, it was not setting an example.
“As citizens, we should appeal (judgments) without racial overtones,” she said.
“If they can’t defer to the judiciary, how can we expect citizens to respect our institutions?” she asked.
Mantashe said he was not attacking the judges, but their judgment, which reflected their historical background.