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The Judicial Service Commission has confirmed that it will investigate the social media posts attributed to high court judge Mabel Jansen.
JSC spokesperson Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza confirmed this afternoon that a complaint has been lodged by Advocate Vuyani Ngalwana SC in his capacity as the chairperson of the Advocates for Transformation and also in his personal capacity with the Judicial Conduct Committee.
“After consultation with Judge Jansen, a proposal for her to go on special leave has been forwarded to the minister of justice and correctional services for consideration,” said Ntsebeza.
Jansen, who was a judge of the Gauteng division of the high court, Pretoria, has been under fire for comments linking rape with black culture.
The comments were circulated on social media on the weekend after writer Gillian Schutte re-posted excerpts of a debate Jansen joined on Facebook on May 24 last year.
Ntsebeza pointed out that all judges were subject to the Code of Judicial Conduct, which served as the prevailing standard for judicial conduct.
A complaint of alleged misconduct against a judge can be lodged with the Judicial Conduct Committee by way of an affidavit or an affirmed statement specifying the nature of the complaint and the facts on which the complaint is based. Such a complaint will then be dealt with by the committee in terms of the JSC Act.
“The JSC urges the public to allow that process to run its course and remain confident that the Judicial Conduct Committee shall deal with the matter in a just and proper manner,” he said.
