Call for judge's recusal in footballer's murder trial

The murder trial of former South African footballer, Senzo Meyiwa, is facing another obstacle with a call for presiding Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng to recuse himself following racially charged courtroom comments and political outbursts. The Star says the case now faces another credibility blow: a presiding judge accused of losing impartiality. Last week, after Mokgoatlheng made a series of remarks – first berating a defence lawyer for requesting time off to run the Comrades Marathon, then launching into a monologue about black lawyers, race relations and his political history. He also made unsolicited comments about President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling him his ‘junior’ and referencing shared links to the African National Congress and the Azanian People's Organisation. The remarks triggered anger both inside and outside the courtroom, with some calling them inappropriate, irrelevant, and undignified. In response, the judge issued a lengthy apology last Monday. ‘If you believe that I, as a judge, am so useless, dumb, and you think you can’t get a fair trial from me, please tell me, I will recuse myself,’ he told lawyers in court. ‘I don’t want to impose myself on people who doubt my integrity, honour and dignity.’ He went on to insist that he is not racist, citing his presence at the historic 1955 Congress of the People in Kliptown alongside his father. ‘If I trampled on anybody’s toes because of my racism ... I wish to apologise for being a racist,’ he said. ‘But I can tell you, it’s not a conscious thing about me to be a racist.’ Despite his apology, public confidence has taken a knock. ‘This judge has clearly lost the plot,’ said Advocate Thembeka Radebe. ‘It’s no longer about Senzo Meyiwa. It’s about Judge Mokgoatlheng, and that’s a complete derailment of justice. He must go.’

Full report in The Star