AZAPO Calls for Dikgang Moseneke to be appointed as the Chief Justice
With speculation rife on what President Zuma's choice of Chief Justice will be AZAPO urges the President and his party to outgrow their narrow ideological and party political thinking. AZAPO calls on the president of the republic to act in the nation's interest by appointing Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke as Chief Justice of the Republic.
AZAPO reiterates for the umpteenth time the call for the appointment of Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke to the office of the Chief Justice. This is the least President Zuma could do to salvage the integrity of the office of the Chief Justice, for which Judge Ngcobo was willing to forgo personal ambitions.
AZAPO takes this opportunity to congratulate Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke on bagging another top award in the legal profession - the prestigious Sidney and Felicia Kentridge Award for outstanding service to the legal profession in Southern Africa.
Being a recipient of this prestigious award means Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke follows in the footsteps of many former Chief Justices and eminent legal scholars in South Africa. This award re-affirms AZAPO's long held confidence in the Deputy Chief Justice's legal prowess and quality of his work as one of the finest jurists in our country.
At his 60th birthday party, Judge Moseneke, was reported to have said: "...I want to use my energy to help create an equal society. It's not [about] what the ANC wants or what the delegates want; it is about what is good for our people". It is such courage and independence of thinking that sustained Judge Moseneke, back then as a 16 year-old prisoner (who served 10 years) at Robben Island. In current times where our country is riddled with corrupt political and business syndicates, it is imperative that the office of the Chief Justice be occupied by a fearless person. In our view Judge Moseneke is that person
With President Zuma likely to overlook Judge Moseneke for the post of Chief Justice, AZAPO calls on the nation to stand up and make their voices heard on this matter. AZAPO will be engaging like minded organisations to pressure government into making the right decision. An alliance of civil society organisations will be mobilised to demand justice on behalf of Justice Moseneke.
This alliance will also demand decent treatment by government of millions of poor communities who so far have been shunned by the ruling party. When you do not wear an ANC t-shirt or wave an ANC membership card you are regarded as a nonentity. The people have had enough of this ANC hegemony.
AZAPO will meet various political, religious, business, labour and civil society organisations to sell to them the "Moseneke for Chief Justice" campaign and foster relations that will help resist attempts to turn our democracy into the ruling ANC fiefdom(or should we say thiefdom) and misrule.
Statement issued by Gaontebale Nodoba, AZAPO National Spokesperson, August 2 2011
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