Chief Justice Mandisa Maya unveils new sexual harassment policy for judiciary
Image: File
As National Women's Day was celebrated on Saturday, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has announced the introduction of a Sexual Harassment Policy for the South African Judiciary.
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) has described it as a historic step in safeguarding the integrity of the courts and protecting the dignity of all who serve within them. The OCJ said this policy reiterates the judiciary's unwavering commitment to the Constitutional values of human dignity, equality, and justice. It said this sends a clear message that sexual harassment has no place in the halls of justice.
As custodians of the Constitution, Judges and Magistrates bear a profound responsibility to uphold the highest standards of integrity. The Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct and South Africa's own Judicial Codes of Conduct demand nothing less, the office said in a statement.
It added that where sexual harassment occurs within the judiciary, it is not only a personal violation; it is also an affront to the rule of law itself, eroding public trust and betraying the very principles the institution exists to defend and uphold.
'This Policy is a necessary and urgent intervention. The Judiciary cannot dispense justice to society if it does not first ensure it within its own ranks. Sexual harassment is a gross abuse of power, a denial of equality, and a stain on the legitimacy of the courts. We are going to tackle it head on and this policy will be a very useful mechanism in that battle,' Justice Maya said.
The principles of the policy were set out in a 25-page document, which includes zero tolerance for sexual harassment by or against any judicial officer, staff member, or individual engaging with the judiciary.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
It also sets out guidelines for clear, confidential, and fair procedures for reporting and addressing complaints, with protections against retaliation. The policy calls for accountability, with disciplinary consequences for offenders, as well as for a safe and respectful workplace, free from discrimination and intimidation.
The Chief Justice has directed all members of the judiciary to urgently familiarise themselves with the policy and ensure adherence. 'This is not merely a document; it is a covenant with the people of South Africa. We must lead by example,' the Chief Justice emphasised. The policy will further entrench a culture of accountability and respect, ensuring that the judiciary remains a beacon of justice for all, she said.
In an annexure to the 25-page sexual harassment policy issued, some examples of verbal, non-verbal, and physical conduct that may be construed as unwelcome sexual harassment were given. These include "gestures, staring, leering, and indecent exposure". It also included the display, or sending by electronic or any other means, of sexually explicit pictures, videos, or messages. The sending of sexually suggestive pictures, including emojis or stickers, was also included.
The judicial conduct tribunal, which is investigating complaints against Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge, arising out of a sexual harassment complaint, has meanwhile concluded its hearing of oral evidence in the matter.
Lawyers acting for the complainant, judges secretary Andiswa Mengo, and Mbenenge's legal team are due to present their final legal arguments before the tribunal in October. It is alleged by Mengo that the judge president had subjected her to sexual harassment, which made her very uncomfortable. This was denied by Mbenenge, who claimed it was consensual flirting between two adults.
zelda.venter@inl.co.za
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
KwaDukuza Municipality 'rudderless', calls for Section 154 intervention grows
Opposition parties call for Section 154 in the embattled KwaDukuza Municipality. Image: Facebook Opposition parties in the embattled KwaDukuza Local Municipality have called on the provincial government to place the municipality under Section 154 as the ANC struggled to replace its fired mayor. According to a parliamentary document, Section 154 obligates national and provincial governments to strengthen municipal capacity, ensuring that municipalities can manage their affairs, exercise their powers, and fulfil their functions effectively. This support may take the form of legislative measures, financial assistance, and technical guidance, all aimed at enhancing local governance and ensuring sustainable municipal operations. The municipality has been without a political head since the resignation of mayor Ali Ngidi and his deputy Njabulo Cele two weeks ago. Attempts to elect a new mayor failed two weeks ago following an apparent revolt by ANC councilors who were said to be unhappy with the party's decision to bring back two former mayors Sduduzo Gumede and Lindiwe Nhaca as the new mayor and deputy mayor respectively. The meeting was cancelled at the last minute and the ANC said it was because of Luthuli House's intervention after the mother body reminded the provincial structure about interviews which first had to be conducted by the team of the National Working Committee. However, sources within the municipality said the meeting was cancelled after the ANC leadership learned that there were 10 councillors who were going to boycott the meeting and this would have given the opposition an opportunity to take over. ActionSA councillor Halalalisani Ndlovu said his party had already written to KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs' MEC, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, to send a Section 154 team to take over, especially the financial administration of the municipality. Ndlovu said that his party's concerns stemmed from the fact that the finance committee has not met for two months because of uncertainty created by the ANC's dismissal of the mayor and his deputy. He stated that there were committee meetings that had to be cancelled because the mayor, as the chairperson, was not there. Ndlovu further stated that the last committee meeting was held in June, during which the agenda from May was still being considered. Since then, there have been no meetings to address matters for June or July. He said on July 25 — the day on which a meeting was again scheduled - it was postponed without explanation. 'The next meeting, according to the official calendar, is only set for 20 August. This means three consecutive months of committee inaction on key governance, budget and performance issues. 'In terms of Section 154 of the Constitution, I hereby request that your office urgently asses the governance and administrative functioning of the Finance Committee and provides appropriate support to restore its operations. "Furthermore, in light of the municipality's failure to fulfil its executive obligations, I ask that your department considers whether a Section 139(1)(b) (provincial) intervention may be warranted, should these issues persist unresolved," said Ndlovu. Weighing in on the matter, DA caucus leader Privi Makhan said the municipality was now a rudderless ship that cannot deliver for the people because the ANC is no longer capable of leading it. 'The DA reiterates our call to all opposition parties, if we are truly serious about rescuing this municipality, we must act together now,' said Makhan.
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Gayton McKenzie reacts to claims he LIED about his race
Gayton McKenzie has reacted to allegations he 'lied' about his racial background. The Patriotic Alliance leader – whose old tweets using the K-word recently resurfaced – identifies as a coloured South African. This week, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture called for the hosts of the Open Chats Podcast to be cancelled over their derogatory comments about the racial minority. On his Facebook account, Gayton McKenzie reacted to screenshots of social media users who accused him of 'lying' about being a coloured person. One screenshot of an X post said of the minister: 'Gayton Mckenzie's real surname is Makena. It was allegedly changed by his father to McKenzie during Apartheid for better employment opportunities. Another claimed that Patriotic Alliance leader's son Calvyn Le John used his mother's maiden name as to secure government contracts, a claim he has since disputed. Gayton reacted to the accusations with several laughing face emojis. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Posted by Gayton Mckenzie on Sunday 10 August 2025 In his 2006 biography The Choice, Gayton McKenzie – who was born and raised in Bloemfontein – shed light on his diverse background. He wrote: 'My grandmother is Irish, my grandfather Japanese. My father is a product of that, but looks like a coloured man. My mother is Sotho. I simply look black. 'I am not entirely clear about my ethnicity. My parents have the photographs at home, but the genetics have been shuffled with a deck of wildcards, and the result is me, someone who looks nothing like the Irish, but has their luck, who looks nothing like the Japanese, and can't think of anything I have that's remotely related to them, except the DVD player at home. 'I can't even say I'm a typical Sotho, but at least I can tell you that in Sotho. Ke ka o bolelo ntho eo ka Sesotho'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Gauteng department faces scrutiny over R8. 4 million contracts to questionable 'military veterans'
The Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation (SACR) is slated after awarding over R8.4 million to companies claiming to be owned by 'military veterans,' despite records showing some directors were born in the 1990s. The Military Veterans Act of 2011 defines a military veteran as any South African citizen who falls into one of the following categories: Those who rendered military service to any of the military organisations involved on all sides of South Africa's liberation war from 1960 to 1994; Those who served in the Union Defence Force before 1961; and Those who became members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) after 1994 have completed their military training, no longer perform military duties, and have not been dishonourably discharged from the military. Following questions raised by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), the party stated that Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, Matome Chiloane, confirmed that the department awarded contracts to 24 companies owned by military veterans over the past three financial years. Kingsol Chabalala, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, stated that the awarded companies have provided a range of services, including security at libraries such as Driezik and Kagiso, as well as managing events for wreath-laying ceremonies and celebrations for Human Rights and Heritage Day. He highlighted that the documents, in possession of The Star , exposed a troubling trend of false claims, pointing out that many companies on the list are directed by individuals born in the 1990s, which disqualifies them from being considered genuine military veterans. 'A closer inspection of the entities reveals a disturbing pattern of misrepresentation. Notably, several listed companies have directors who were born in the 1990s, making them far too young to be categorised as military veterans. For instance, the director of RE DLALA GAME TRADING, which received R459 156.46, was born in 1990; the director of Intellectditcom, backed with R147 700, was born in 1995; and the director of MATHABATSEME ENTERPRISE, which received R486 349.50, was born in 1996.' Chabalala further asserted that this represents a clear abuse of procurement processes to secure profitable contracts, exposing how certain individuals within the department are prepared to exploit veterans' legacy and public resources for personal benefit. He further stated that the DA will contact Chiloane to seek clarification on how this clear inconsistency was ignored or tolerated. 'The DA will write to MEC Chiloane, urging him to clarify how such a blatant discrepancy went unnoticed or permitted to persist under his watch. We will also demand that he conduct an urgent investigation into those responsible for awarding these contracts and ensure that they face appropriate consequences. This process must be carried out transparently and without bias,' Chabalala added. Responding to the concerns, Mxolisi Mkhonza, spokesperson for the Department of Military Veterans, explained that serving members of the SANDF qualify as military veterans once they leave the armed forces and are registered on the South African National Military Veterans Database. This includes individuals who have completed the Military Skills Development System (MSDS), which annually recruits citizens into the SANDF. Mkhonza also noted that the department is considering amending the registration process. 'Therefore, there will be no need for an investigation as these are legitimate military veterans according to the Act in its current state. The DMV is, however, looking to begin the process of amending the Military Veterans Act in order to circumvent such gaps, which are being exploited by certain individuals.' He added that the application and verification process for recognition as a military veteran involves several requirements, beginning with proof of having served or trained as a soldier, details of which are available on the DMV website. Once approved, individuals are listed on the South African National Military Veterans Database and issued a confirmation letter. This letter enables them to apply for various benefits outlined in Section 5 of the Act, provided they meet the qualifying criteria. Mkhonza explained that the DMV can not comment on other departments' procedures but works with them across government to deliver benefits. 'As a coordinating department, we work with various other government departments at all spheres of government in rolling out benefits. Each department may then have its criteria on how to go about issuing benefits to individuals specifically earmarked as military veterans. The DMV cannot speak on processes followed by other departments, such as the SACR.' The Star's attempts to get a comment from SACR were unsuccessful. We had not received a response by publication time. The Star [email protected]
