Judge Goliath 'ok' after security scare
Two gunmen who fired shots and wounded a security guard outside the Cape Town home of Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath are on the run as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation steps in to investigate.
The incident occurred about 11am yesterday when the gunmen approached Goliath’s home.
Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbamba confirmed that the Hawks are investigating the shooting ‘but no info can be given at this stage’.
Die Burger reports that Goliath said she and her family are ‘ok’. She declined to speculate on the motivation for the attack.
The incident occurred nearly two years after the Daily Maverick reported that an investigation by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services had found that reports of an alleged planned assassination of Goliath could not be discounted and warranted further investigation.
The Judicial Conduct Committee last year recommended that allegations made against Goliath should be investigated by the Judicial Conduct Tribunal.
A TimesLIVE report notes that Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe's wife, Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe, had alleged that Goliath had attempted to influence her to lay false criminal charges against him. She claims Goliath encouraged her to divorce her husband and stop using his surname.
She allegedly referred to him as an ‘old black man’.
While recommending the allegations be investigated, the committee last year dismissed a complaint by Goliath that Salie-Hlophe was improperly involved in the management of the court where she also works, enjoys preferential treatment and has made unwarranted complaints against her colleagues.
GroundUp first published a report that a senior judge had been implicated in an alleged plot to assassinate Goliath by a prisoner held in Pietermaritzburg.
The report was sent to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and the Office of the Chief Justice. Goliath confirmed to Daily Maverick that on 3 June 2020 she had been contacted by members of the Grahamstown Bar, who claimed a prisoner had called the office and informed them that a ‘hit’ had been arranged.
Hlophe’s legal representative, Barnabas Xulu, issued a general statement on 6 September 2021, stating ‘our client was shocked by the publications by the various media houses, as the averments are baseless and false’.
Hlophe has been found guilty by the JSC of gross misconduct, however he remains in his job pending his impeachment hearing.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
