Top court clears path for Hlophe impeachment hearing

It was in the interests of justice for the gross misconduct complaint against Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe, which has dragged on for more than eight years, to be concluded without any further delay, the Constitutional Court said in a judgment yesterday. Unless there is yet another twist, notes a BDlive report, the judgment clears the way for the JSC to finally resolve the Hlophe complaint and for all the other Judicial Conduct Tribunals – which had ground to a halt because of the litigation – to proceed. Potentially impeachable misconduct and complaints against at least six judges are pending. The Hlophe complaint was made by all the then-justices of the Constitutional Court, who alleged Hlophe had sought to influence the outcome of judgments, at the time pending before the Constitutional Court, that were related to corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma. Hlophe denied the allegation.