A meeting of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) was under way on Friday to consider an allegation levelled against Cape Judge President John Hlophe.
The country’s top legal minds took a short break just before 1pm after meeting for two hours to consider a complaint by Constitutional Court judges, who have accused Hlophe of trying to improperly influence the court’s decision regarding Scorpion search raids on African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma.
Some of the justices living outside Gauteng were scheduled for flights from nearby OR Tambo International Airport at about 3pm, and it was expected that the meeting would be wrapped up before then.
None of them wanted to comment on the issue or the initial discussions in the closed-door meeting.
The meeting, held in Boksburg and chaired by President of the Supreme Court of Appeal Craig Howie also included Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe and advocate George Bizos.
Notably absent were any judges from the Constitutional Court; Hlophe was also not at the meeting.
Earlier in the week, JSC spokesperson Marumo Moerane said it would be a preliminary meeting.
”I think it’s probably an attempt to try to expedite things … share ideas and see what we have on the table, what documents have been presented,” he said. — Sapa