Two magistrates and a regional prosecutor, who spent 10 days in detention in Bophuthatswana, were released this week after their lawyers threatened to file a supreme court interdict. The three, members of the Department of Justice in Garankuwa, were released on Wednesday morning without being charged.
Magistrates Thabo Raborifi and Jacob Malefetsa and prosecutor Panick Huma were detained on March 18 after they handed themselves to the police following their demand for salary increase Yesterday, when the three reported for duty, Orief Magistrate AC Greyling handed a Jetter of suspension to Malefetse ”pending enquiry into misconductâ€. Greyling also told Raborifi and Huma to report to his office today to receive similar suspension letters.
A representative of the Department of Justice confirmed yesterday that similar letters had been written to Raborifi and Huma. All three will lose their earnings while investigations are underway. According to the three, the entire staff of the Department of Justice at Garankuwa magistrate’ s office s, including ordinary workers, embarked on a two day sit-in on March 12 and 13 to support a demand for a 50 percent salary increase. ”For the past five years civil servants under this department had not received any salary increases and we had petitioned the Department of Justice in Mafikeng demanding the increase. We followed all legal Proce¬dures, as we are not unionised, ‘ said Huma.
Minister of Justice Godfrey Mothibe, who said he had made all efforts to secure their increase from the Public Service Commission (PSC) – but was told that the Department of Justice was not a priority. ”We then made the effort to contact the minister again. He told us that dealing with the Public Service Commission was like knocking one’s head on the wall,” Huma said. Huma told the Weekly Mail that the PSC offered a 20 percent increase, which the staff rejected.
*Meanwhile three other emergency detainees are still being held in solitary confinement. They are Stephen Moatse, John Mosupye – members of the opposition National Seopasengwe Party – and the Reverend Peter Moatshe, a field worker of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). Also held is ex-Robben Island prisoner Peter Magana who is held at 1 Zone 5 police station in Garankuwa. The newly formed Mafikeng Detainees ‘ Support Committee said in a statement this week that a about 20 children were assaulted while in de¬tention and have since been treated by doctors.
