Mogoeng Mogoeng facing formal complaint over Covid-19 vaccine prayer
- African Alliance has filed a formal complaint with the Judicial Services Commission
- This is the latest fallout over Mogoeng Mogoeng's controversial Covid-19 vaccine comments
- The Chief Justice raised his concerns over the Covid-19 vaccine at a time when distrust in the medication is high
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African Alliance, a health advocacy organisation, has now lodged a formal complaint against Mogoeng Mogoeng with the Judicial Services Commission.
Source: Getty Images
This is in response to the Chief Justice's Covid-19 vaccine comments which earned him widespread backlash.
In a lengthy affidavit detailing the complaint, the African Alliance argued that the apex judicial figure had acted in a way which was unbecoming of his office, allegedly breaching the code of judicial conduct.
The Judicial Conduct Committee was urged to review the matter as a matter of urgency in order to protect investments in the vaccine.
Mogoeng's comments were labelled as dangerous by the group who felt that they reduced public trust in the vaccines.
SowetanLIVE reports that Tian Johnson, head of African Alliance, submitted the complaint on the group's behalf commenting that:
“When SA gets access to a Covid-19 vaccine, we need as many people as we can to take those vaccines. The more people we can vaccinate against Covid-19, the less chance we all have of becoming infected with the virus. Misinformation about vaccines only puts that goal farther out of reach."
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that Mogoeng had voiced his controversial opinions on the vaccine during a prayer, saying that:
“I lock out any vaccine that is not of you. If there be any vaccine that is of the devil, meant to infuse 666 in the lives of people, meant to corrupt their DNA ... Any such vaccine, Lord God almighty, may it be destroyed by fire, in the name of Jesus.”
Nathi Mncube, a spokesperson for the office of the Chief Justice, has denied that the comments were a statement:
“He didn't make a statement. He was praying. It wasn't a speech. He was praying after he had given his speech. It's a prayer to God."
In response to backlash at the time, Mogoeng had insisted that he had the right to express his sentiments on the sensitive subject as well as the right to practice his religion.
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Source: Briefly News
