Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Causes Lindiwe Sisulu to Seek Legal Assistance, Defends Her Article
- Lindiwe Sisulu has written a follow-up article to her op-ed piece that was published earlier in the week
- Raymond Zondo reprimanded Sisulu for the article, which has caused the minister to seek legal assistance
- The acting chief justice's main issue with Sisulu's article is that he fears it might offend African justices
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PRETORIA - Lindiwe Sisulu, the Minister of Tourism, has written a follow-up article to her op-ed piece that was published earlier in the week. Therein she responds to the criticism that her previous article received from Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Zondo chastised Sisulu for the article, which has caused the minister to seek legal assistance. This was confirmed by Mpumzi Zuzile, Sisulu's spokesperson. Zuzile added that Sisulu would discuss the matter with Zondo at an appropriate time and place.
The acting chief justice's main issue with Sisulu's article is that he fears it might offend African justices, as she writes that South Africa has not seen proper justice yet, and these judges might feel that that is a side at their work, TimesLIVE reports.
Source: Getty Images
Sisulu's latest article and reply to Zondo
Yesterday (12 January), Sisulu published a follow-up article where she says her previous article intended to highlight issues facing South Africa's legal system and not make baseless allegations towards the judiciary.
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"My opinion piece was in the spirit of the obligation of assessing our progress less from an elitist setting but in the attempt of the ordinary South African for whom freedom remains a mirage and justice often an impossibility," Sisulu wrote.
The minister emphasised that while South Africa has progressed significantly since 1994, much remains to be done. Sisulu added that many core Constitutional values, such as freedom for all and human dignity, are not yet experienced by many parts of the population.
South Africans react to Sisulu's response
@cejay51 believes:
"Sadly it was never about the people, tragic as it may be!"
@Franckim74 remarked:
"She should have consulted her lawyers before publishing."
@CharlotteKhuma3 shared:
@KaraboPDube asked:
"The end goal of consulting is the courts right?"
@Andrea_21T said:
"She may very well go on to issue an apology but it's quite clear what her views are. Some things you can't take back. Even if you retract a statement, it's still out there."
@ziyarara shared:
Civil society groups band together to criticise Sisulu for attack on Judiciary\
In earlier news about Lindiwe Sisulu, Briefly News reported that the Minister of Tourism's open letter critiquing the Constitution and the Judiciary did not bode well with a few civil society groups. They have called her opinion piece regressive and dangerous.
In her open letter titled "Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?" which was published by IOL, Sisulu lambasted the Constitutional text for failing to aid poor black South Africans. She also stated that the Constitution is a neoliberal document inspired by foreign policy as a colonial construct.
Sisulu also attacked the judiciary, claiming that judges are mentally colonised Africans. She went on to say that these judges have adopted a worldwide view and rather have the mindset of people who have "dispossessed their ancestors."
Source: Briefly News
