An aspirant electoral commissioner, Mfanozelwe Shozi, found himself having to explain an article he wrote in 2016 criticising the judiciary.
The article, titled "Parole for Janusz Walus cannot be justified", was published in the New Age newspaper in May 2016. In that article Shozi, who was chairman of the Commission for Gender Equality at the time, said he was perplexed by the insistence of the judiciary on giving Walus parole.
Walus was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani on April 10 1993.
"I wonder if it was FW de Klerk who was assassinated instead by a black person, whether the attitude of the judge would be the same as in the case of Walus," Shozi wrote in his column.
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng asked Shozi yesterday whether this was the kind of a statement that befitted a chairperson of a Chapter 9 institution to be published in a national newspaper.
Shozi said his intention was not to offend the judiciary or imply it was incompetent.
"I think one was trying to explain, maybe it did not come across well, the roles of three arms of government. It did not come out clearly, he replied. It came out as an attack on the judiciary. From where I am sitting, I respect the judiciary."
Mogoeng had first asked Shozi whether those in the leadership of Chapter 9 institutions ought to be very careful about what they say or do on strengthening or weakening the country's constitutional democracy.
Shozi had agreed with Mogoeng's statement. Mogoeng said impartiality, a lack of bias and prejudice were critical attributes for anybody hoping to serve as a commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
"On the face of this, what should we make of your suitability as a commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission?" Mogoeng asked.
Shozi cited a number of cases that the Commission for Gender Equality had dealt with, including the case of a municipality awarding bursaries to virgins.
The interview panel, headed by Mogoeng, was interviewing shortlisted candidates to fill three commissioner vacancies at the IEC.
Past back to haunt aspirant IEC commissioner
An aspirant electoral commissioner, Mfanozelwe Shozi, found himself having to explain an article he wrote in 2016 criticising the judiciary.
The article, titled "Parole for Janusz Walus cannot be justified", was published in the New Age newspaper in May 2016. In that article Shozi, who was chairman of the Commission for Gender Equality at the time, said he was perplexed by the insistence of the judiciary on giving Walus parole.
Walus was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani on April 10 1993.
"I wonder if it was FW de Klerk who was assassinated instead by a black person, whether the attitude of the judge would be the same as in the case of Walus," Shozi wrote in his column.
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng asked Shozi yesterday whether this was the kind of a statement that befitted a chairperson of a Chapter 9 institution to be published in a national newspaper.
Shozi said his intention was not to offend the judiciary or imply it was incompetent.
"I think one was trying to explain, maybe it did not come across well, the roles of three arms of government. It did not come out clearly, he replied. It came out as an attack on the judiciary. From where I am sitting, I respect the judiciary."
Mogoeng had first asked Shozi whether those in the leadership of Chapter 9 institutions ought to be very careful about what they say or do on strengthening or weakening the country's constitutional democracy.
Shozi had agreed with Mogoeng's statement. Mogoeng said impartiality, a lack of bias and prejudice were critical attributes for anybody hoping to serve as a commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
"On the face of this, what should we make of your suitability as a commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission?" Mogoeng asked.
Shozi cited a number of cases that the Commission for Gender Equality had dealt with, including the case of a municipality awarding bursaries to virgins.
The interview panel, headed by Mogoeng, was interviewing shortlisted candidates to fill three commissioner vacancies at the IEC.