SA BDS Coalition objection to Judge David Unterhalter for the Con Court
12 April 2021
Text of the SA BDS Coalition complaint sent to Judicial Service Commission:
“The South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (SABDS) Coalition places on record its objection to the candidacy of Judge David Unterhalter for appointment to the Constitutional Court principally on the grounds of his association with the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD).
According to the ‘Judges Matter’ website, “Advocate Unterhalter was appointed an executive member of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in 2020.” [Note: In the JSC hearings Judge Unterhalter disclosed that he had stepped down from the Board in response to a separate objection from the BLA. - PW]
The values, ethos and actions of the SAJBD do not align with our government policies and our constitutional values. The SAJBD is akin to the Broederbond and serves as a conservative organisation that supports and minimizes the actions of the Israeli apartheid state, much like the Broederbond did with respect to apartheid South Africa. The SAJBD has supported the Zionist state’s brutal oppression of the Palestinian people.