African National Congress (ANC) President, Cyril Ramaphosa has warned against the use of Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya’s image in one of the ANC’s election campaign posters.
He was speaking to media after a visiting voting registration in Meadowlands, Soweto.
This follows the Judicial Service Commission’s (JSC) statement distancing itself from the usage of Maya’s face in the ANC X page and saying it was not authorised by Maya’s office and the office of the Chief Justice.
The JSC prohibits judges from belonging to political parties.
Media Statement: ANC election campaign poster using the image of the Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Madam Justice Mandisa Maya – 18 November 2023 pic.twitter.com/AqPZqsMG5u
— RSAJudiciary (@OCJ_RSA) November 18, 2023
Ramaphosa says if it is true, it should not have happened. He says judges must be independent and not allow themselves to be dragged into party political issues.
“It shouldn’t happen, judges are independent and judges must be given the respect and the position that is due to them to be the arbiters of the nation. And if you are the arbiter of the nation, you got to be given the independence and you have to act independently because you have the prestige and you have respect and that is why we should not drag them into party political issues. And they should also not allow to be dragged into party political issues and they should also not drag themselves into politics because we also cannot drag ourselves into judicial maters. “
The Office of the Chief Justice has demanded that those responsible for the use of an image of the Deputy Chief Justice on a poster of the ANC remove it from all social media platforms. The OCJ says the unauthorised use of the image is inappropriate, has the potential to bring the Judiciary into disrepute and undermines the integrity of the Judiciary.
The post has since been taken down.
Office of the Chief Justice slams ANC for using Deputy Chief Justice Maya’s image:
ANC’s election message
The ANC President says he is confident that the governing party’s election message is gaining traction ahead of the 2024 elections. He says the party remains the hope of the people of South Africa and that will be seen in the outcome of the 2024 polls.
Ramaphosa led a door-to-door campaign in Meadowlands to encourage people to register for next year’s elections.
ANC president leads voter registration mobilisation in Gauteng:
