Judge Motata denies he made racist comments when he crashed his car
Johannesburg – Retired Judge Nkola Motata, who crashed his car into the wall of a home in Johannesburg in 2007, appeared before the judicial conduct tribunal on Wednesday, where he insisted that he had not made any racist comments at the accident scene.
The tribunal emanates from complaints lodged with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) into Motata's alleged conduct.
It is alleged that he used racist language at the scene of the crash in Hurlingham, Johannesburg in January 2007 and of breaching judicial ethics during his drunk driving trial, by allegedly using a defence he knew to be untrue.
The tribunal is chaired by KwaZulu-Natal Judge President Achmat Jappie, sitting with Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Nabitha Dambuza and attorney Alan Lax.
It is probing whether the statements Motata allegedly made can be classified as racist and whether the manner in which he conducted his defence during his trial can be seen as acts of gross misconduct.