The embattled public protector has also again petitioned the constitutional court on the subject of the message, which she claims suggest the outcome of her rescission application was leaked
The supreme court of appeal president, who was the Judicial Service Commission’s recommendation for chief justice, would be the first woman to hold the post
He said there was no justification for arresting Teffo inside the court and that police had failed to safeguard the dignity and independence of the judiciary
The minister said it was not true that the Investigating Directorate had been “slumbering”
The three, along with co-accused Ace Magashule, recently applied to the high court to have charges stemming from the scandal set aside but were unsuccessful
The former president’s dismissal of Nhlahla Nene as finance minister for spurious reasons showed the veracity of the Gupta family’s claim that he would do anything for them
The commission’s urgent application to the high court was unopposed and it now has until 15 June to deliver the final chapter of its findings on state capture
But observers said the damage was done, delaying impeachment proceedings and providing more ammunition for political attack on the apex court
The high court postponed the public protector’s bid to stem her suspension after a text message that would suggest, if legitimate, that constitutional court judges were leaking decisions
The public protector’s lawyer informed the court and the respondents of the ‘unfortunate’ development on the eve of the high court hearing