Dibotelo threatens to report judges to Khama
Oarabile Mosikare | Thursday August 31, 2017 18:00
A referral would possibly lead to Khama setting up a Tribunal into their conduct, in the same manner a previous Tribunal was set up in 2015 in the now infamous saga involving four other High Court justices who were suspended in September of that year and only reinstated in March this year.
The judges were Key Dingake, Modiri Letsididi, Mercy Garekwe and Ranier Busang. The same petition, which resulted in the 2015 suspensions, is the same now at the heart of the latest matter involving Justices Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe, Lot Moroka, Godfrey Nthomiwa and Tshepo Motswagole. The petition in question was signed by 12 judges and sent to the JSC questioning the Chief Justice’s leadership style.
While justices Dingake, Letsididi, Garekwe and Busang apologised to Khama and were reinstated, justices Ketlogetswe, Moroka, Nthomiwa and Motswagole have thus far refused to apologise to Dibotelo, Mmegi has learnt.T
he JSC, through its secretary Michael Motlhabi, had given the four until June 9, 2017 to render their apology to Dibotelo.
On August 29, 2017 Motlhabi yet again wrote to the quartet giving them up to September 15 to show cause why the petition which they endorsed and that which undermined the authority of Dibotelo, should not be referred to Khama.
In his letter, Motlhabi reminded the judges that they had not retracted or apologised for the contents of the petition, like the others had done.
Sources close to the matter questioned when the decision to write another letter demanding an apology to the four judges was made. “There is no evidence that there was any JSC sitting recently. So when was that decision taken?” a highly placed insider queried.
“What is surprising is that these threats and intimidations are being carried out by a man who turns 70 on the October 7 and must in terms of the law retire.” Dibotelo is due for retirement on October 31, 2017 when he reaches 70 years.
However, it was previously reported that Khama had extended Dibotelo’s contract until March 31, 2018, when Khama himself leaves office. Efforts to reach Motlhabi were futile yesterday. The JSC secretary, however, in previous interviews has persisted in saying: “The deliberations of the JSC are private and confidential. They are not for public consumption”.