Since we can’t trust the police, thank goodness Mogoeng instils trust in the judiciary

In South Africa, it is certainly not the proverbial “thin blue line” of the police which prevents us from descending further into crime-generated chaos.

It is, rather, what might be described as the “thin grey line” (many of its office holders are mature) of the judiciary which is SA’s safety net.

And despite the criticism which has been levelled against the chief justice, we believe justice is in good hands as long as Mogoeng Mogoeng occupies that top post.

He has proved himself to be his own man and, in an interview with The Citizen this week, he made it plain he will not be cowed by anyone who criticises him for “dabbling in politics”.

He pointed out there is hardly anything he says in public which he is not permitted to say in handing down judgments and many of the issues he raises have already been dealt with in the courts.

There are those who believe that a chief justice should remain almost in splendid isolation above the nitty-gritty of the real world; that do to otherwise indicates a tendency to judicial activism which, they say, should be something not associated with members of the Bench.

Yet, the law is a living thing and applied, daily, far from the ivory towers of academia.

So, it is appropriate that we should hear the views of the top man applying it.

He makes some important points when dealing with the current fashion of people pillorying judicial officers because they apparently are in disagreement with the judgments judges or magistrates are handing down.

Mogoeng believes this phenomenon should be firmly knocked on the head because allegations which are not based on evidence are damaging the reputation of the judiciary.

Trust in the judiciary is critical if SA democracy is to have any chance of survival.

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