Retired former Constitutional Court Justice Chris Jafta has informed the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) that there is an individual impersonating him and contacting people using his name.
Motive unknown
In a media statement released by the OCJ on Tuesday, it said the motive behind the impersonation is not known.
“By direction of retired Constitutional Court Justice Chris Jafta, the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) has been requested to issue this media statement. The Justice [Jafta] brought to the attention of the OCJ that an individual impersonating the retired justice, has contacted individuals using the name of the retired justice. The motives of the impersonator are not yet clear,” read the statement.
Public warned
“The public is warned not to fall prey to this impersonator and needs to be aware that impersonating a judicial officer is a criminal offence. Members of the public and media are requested to contact the OCJ to verify authenticity of any communications, directive, article, or social media post that purports to be that of a judge.”
Jafta was a judge of the Constitutional Court from November 2009 until his retirement in November 2021. He was appointed as a judge to the highest court in the land by former President Jacob Zuma. Prior to that, he held judicial positions at the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Transkei High Court in Mthatha. It is now known as the Eastern Cape high court in Mthatha.
Judge Hlophe case
In 2008, Jafta, along with all the justices of the Constitutional Court at the time, laid a formal complaint against suspended Western Cape High Court President Judge John Hlophe. They laid the case with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The judges complained that Hlophe sought to influence their ruling on pending court judgements involving Zuma. They alleged that he urged them to rule in Zuma’s favour. Â
In 2021, the JSC found Hlophe guilty of gross misconduct in relation to his alleged conduct in connection with Zuma’s 2008 litigation. As a result, Hlophe is facing possible impeachment.
In November 2023, parliament’s justice portfolio committee recommended to the National Assembly to remove Hlophe from judicial office and be impeached. Parliament’s vote on Hlophe’s impeachment is set to take place in January next year.
