The Judicial Conduct Tribunal denied a request for postponement of the hearings by Judge Nana Makhubele, ruling the tribunal shall continue on Wednesday.
Masego Mafata/Groundup
- #UniteBehind lodged a complaint against former Prasa board chairperson Nana Makhubele in 2019.
- The civil society organisation alleged that Makhubele breached the judicial code of conduct.
- Makhubele’s advocate argued that he did not have sufficient time to meet with his client to prepare for the hearings.
An attempt to postpone the Judicial Conduct Committee’s hearings into allegations of misconduct against judge and former Prasa board chairperson Nana Makhubele was denied on Monday, according to GroundUp.
The tribunal into Makhubele’s conduct was established in 2021 after #UniteBehind lodged a complaint against her in 2019, in relation to her continuing to chair the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) board after being appointed as a high court judge.
The hearings have been delayed several times, most recently because of a dispute over Makhubele’s legal fees, amounting to more than R3 million, which is to be paid from the public purse.
While chair of the Prasa board, Makhubele was appointed as a judge in the North Gauteng High Court.
#UniteBehind alleges she remained board chair after being appointed as a judge, which they argue amounts to a breach of the judicial code of conduct.
Makhubele was also implicated by the State Capture Commission, having allegedly used her influence at Prasa to further the interests of corruption-linked company, Siyaya.
She was also accused of sidelining Prasa’s legal team, and was instrumental in disbanding the panel of attorneys investigating corruption at the agency.
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