Black Lawyers Association (BLA) calls for the impeachment of Judge Mabel Jansen of her racist utterances
9 May 2016
The Black Lawyers Association (BLA) noted with disgust and disbelief the media reports over the weekend attributing repulsive racist utterances to Judge Mabel Jansen, Judge of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division. These utterances are based on her social media account, Facebook. Some of the Facebook extracts of her racist conversations, which are in BLA’s possession, are as follows:-
“In their culture (black men) a woman is there to pleasure them. Period. It is seen as an absolute right and a woman’s consent is not required… [mo]others are so brain washed that they tell the children that it is the fathers’ birth right to be the first…[m]urder is also not biggy (sic). And gang rapes of baby, daughter and mother a pleasurable pass time.”
These utterances are not befitting a person who occupies such a high office of a judge. The judges’ office is saddled with a lot of responsibility and accountability such that judges must not be seen to be racists or holding prejudicial thoughts or worldview in respect of other races. Judge Jansen like all other judges have a duty to demonstrate to the South African community that our courts are not, as a result of unfounded beliefs or prejudice and stereotypes, biased against the black people of our country. The judges should make the black community to believe that the courts are legitimate tribunals which can be trusted by all which treat all people as equal before the law.
For a judge to hold a view that black people are, in terms of their culture, rapists and murderers is so unacceptable that she cannot be found to be fit and proper person, as is required under section 174 of the Constitution, to continue to occupy a position of judge.