Suspended Judge President John Hlophe and his wife, Judge Gayaat Salie, have divorced, reports News24.  Salie confirmed through her attorney Anel Bestbier that the marriage had ended.

‘The separation was amicable and both parties request that their privacy be respected,’ Bestbier said.

Attempts to reach Hlophe’s lawyer Barnabas Xulu were unsuccessful. Hlophe and Salie married in April 2015. He had converted to Islam and the religious marriage ceremony was attended by, among others, former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

Last month, Hlophe was suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, five months after the recommendation was made by the JSC.

The suspension, pending impeachment proceedings for gross misconduct, means Hlophe stands to be the first judge in SA to be impeached after he was found to have attempted to influence two Constitutional Court justices to rule in favour of then-ANC President Jacob Zuma in his bid to invalidate the Scorpions' search-and-seizure warrants related to his corruption case.

News24 notes that Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath is acting in Hlophe's position.

Goliath had also lodged an official complaint with the JSC against Hlophe, accusing him of gross misconduct, which she said compromised the functioning of the Western Cape High Court.

Hlophe, in turn, had lodged one of his own, accusing her of racism, among others.

The Judicial Conduct Appeals Committee in September recommended that a tribunal be established to investigate the allegations against both judges, with the parties expected to make submissions for consideration at the end of January.

Goliath has also obtained permission from the SCA to sue Salie for defamation, in terms of Section 47 of the Superior Courts Act which requires consent from the head of the court to allow civil proceedings against a judge.

Full News24 report