/ 9 May 2016

ANC: High court Judge Jansen must be ‘banned’ from court

ANC National Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa talks about  the purpose and progress of the national policy conference.
ANC National Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa talks about the purpose and progress of the national policy conference.

The African National Congress (ANC) wants Pretoria high court Judge Mabel Jansen ‘banned’ from working in any South African court. 

This comes after racist comments Jansen made over a year ago on Facebook were published on social media this week by controversial social activist Gillian Schutte.

In these comments, Jansen claims that rape is part of black people’s culture. She further said that black men feel entitled to women’s bodies.

“In their [Black South Africans’] culture a woman is there to pleasure them. Period. It is seen as an absolute right and a woman’s consent is not required. I still have to meet a black girl who was not been raped at about 12. I am dead serious.”

“That kind of stereotype must not be found within the bench” said current ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa during a media briefing in Parktown, Johannesburg.

Kodwa said Jansen’s utterances rubbishes the notion that judges are faultless and beyond reproach, and that the transformation within the judiciary needs to be urgently addressed. “People like Jansen and Matthew Theunissen don’t appreciate the past and the present of this country. Racism has no place here,” Kodwa said.

Matthew Theunissen caused an uproar on social media last week when he used the “K-word” in a racist Facebook rant about Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula for suggesting that major sporting events should be banned because of lack of transformation in various sporting codes.