‘You are not a house Negro’: Manyi throws his weight behind Dali Mpofu amid JSC removal calls

The African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) Mzwanele Manyi has thrown his weight behind advocate Dali Mpofu amid calls for his removal from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

Over the past week, Mpofu’s professionalism as part of the JSC panel has been called into question, with several groups calling for his replacement.

This comes after reports and analyses based on questions Mpofu asked candidates nominated for the chief justice position last week. Particular reference was made to a question he asked Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo about rumours of sexual harassment against him.

Taking to Twitter, Manyi said the calls to remove Mpofu were “confirmation” that he is not a “house Negro”.

The term was used in the slavery era to describe a black person who rejected their cultural identity to please a white person.

“If some white people, especially the less educated than you, pour scorn and insults at you, you must rejoice. It’s a confirmation that you are not a house Negro. They typically have a problem with black people that don’t seek their validation,” said Manyi. 

Speaking on 702, Mpofu said constructive criticism over his conduct during the JSC panel is welcome but insults are not. 

“Criticism is fine but some people have gone beyond and have been hurling insults and that is obviously unwelcome,” said Mpofu.

“Criticism, evaluation and analysis of the interviews is what robust democracies are all about.”

Mpofu dismissed claims that he had asked an inappropriate question during the JSC interviews. 

“People are free to make their opinions known but anyone who analyses the questions I asked will realise they were structured in a particular way — questions on the post criteria, a question on transformation and a specific question for a specific candidate,” said Mpofu.

Several groups have called for Mpofu to be removed from the commission, including the Pretoria Society of Advocates and Freedom Under Law. 

The Pretoria Society of Advocates wrote to the General Council of the Bar (GCB) calling for Mpofu’s removal.

The society said it was particularly concerned by Mpofu’s behaviour and “unacceptable” performance during the interviews.

“To say that the process followed and the treatment of certain nominees, including acting chief justice [Raymond] Zondo and judge president Mlambo, was unfortunate would be an extreme understatement. It was shameful and has certainly done nothing to improve the reputation of the judiciary or the profession,” said the society in a statement.

Freedom Under Law said Mpofu should have not been allowed to participate in the proceedings due to investigations into his conduct for telling a colleague and her client to shut up during the state capture inquiry.

It also called for EFF leader Julius Malema to step down from the panel.

“The JSC has long applied the principle that a candidate facing a misconduct charge should not be considered for appointment. Yet the JSC permits two members against whom misconduct proceedings are ongoing to participate in this week’s proceedings,” it said.