WeeklySA_AdminHostile: He was also subjected to opportunistic attacks by people with hostile interests to the rule of law
By Monk Nkomo
Outgoing Chief Justice of South Africa, Raymond Zondo was a man of unwavering principle and integrity who possessed all the virtues demanded of a judge and stood firm in upholding the independence of the judiciary.
This was said by Thembi Simelane, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa who paid tribute to Zondo at his farewell dinner this week. Ramaphosa could not attend the event as he was ill.
Zondo was honoured for the task he undertook in chairing the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture – a task he undertook with dignity , fairness and integrity. This job remained integral to the government’s efforts to rebuild the country in the wake of the most shameful periods in our country’s history.
‘’It is a great honour to pay tribute to a distinguished jurist and a dedicated champion of our democratic constitutional order. Through the service he has rendered the nation, through his conduct and his demeanour, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has earned the admiration, respect and gratitude of all South Africans’’.
Zondo was also honoured as a person who possessed all the virtues demanded of a judge, was also incorruptible, as foretold by the ancients including Greek philosopher, Plato. He was a man of wisdom, tempered by experience. A man of unwavering principle and integrity. A man of humility and courage.
Ramaphosa said Zondo had served the cause of justice over a long and illustrious career. He led the Constitutional Court at an important time in the country’s democracy. Following his recommendations regarding the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture, Ramaphosa said the law enforcement agencies had made important progress in investigating and prosecuting alleged perpetrators and had begun to recover stolen funds.
‘’The Commission did much more than reveal – in painstaking detail – the extent and nature of State Capture. The Commission began to restore society’s confidence in its ability to correct mistakes and to hold those responsible for wrongdoing to account. History will record that Chief Justice Zondo fulfilled his assigned responsibility with wisdom and diligence’’.
History, Ramaphosa added, would record that Zondo established a standard for probity in public affairs that would serve the country for many years to come. Beyond what was contained in the Constitution, beyond what was stated in law, beyond all the regulations and the rules, the Zondo Commission had more clearly defined the ethical underpinnings of our democratic state. To ensure that the country may never again experience State Capture, government had introduced and enacted legislation in critical areas such as public procurement, criminal justice, public administration and others.
‘’As we continue and intensify this work, we are duty bound to entrench in all areas of public life the ethical standards that the Zondo Commission has helped to define. During its work, many attempts were made to frustrate and derail the commission. For undertaking this responsibility, Chief Justice, you have had to endure a number of personal attacks.
‘’You have had to defend the integrity of the judiciary and our courts from opportunistic attacks by those with interests inimical to the rule of law. Yet you have stood firm in upholding the independence of the judiciary’’.
Ramaphosa also said this year marked 30 years since South Africa attained its freedom.Yet, despite all that the country had achieved, there was much further to go before the promise of the Constitution was enjoyed equally by all South Africans.
Many South Africans continued to live in dire poverty, without employment and without meaningful opportunities for advancement. Communities were confronted by violence and crime. Corruption continued to erode the country’s institutions and diminish government’s progress.
Three decades after the achievement of democracy, the society still bore the scars of three centuries of subjugation, dispossession and injustice.
‘’In such circumstances, our Constitution stands not just as the supreme law of the land. Our Constitution stands as an instrument of redress and transformation. In striving to build a South Africa wherein all enjoy the shelter and shade of our Constitution, our judges have been called upon to be activists for justice.
‘’They have been called upon to be champions of constitutionalism, equality and freedom. Chief Justice Zondo, you have been all of the above. You have been a credit to the bench and to the office of the Chief Justice. The bench, the legal fraternity and our country is all the richer for your contribution.’’ Zondo will retire at the end of this month.
