‘Hysterical and defiant’: SA weighs in on Mogoeng’s Israel apology

Social media is flooded with reaction to former chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s apology for his controversial comments about Israel during a 2020 webinar.

On Thursday Mogoeng issued a statement in which he apologised for his comments regarding SA’s policy on that country.

The apology came after he was sanctioned by the appeal panel of the Judicial Conduct Committee for comments he made during the webinar with the Jerusalem Post.

In his apology, Mogoeng said he was apologising for becoming involved in political controversy, and said he was forced to do so by the law.

“I am forced by the law — the order of the lawfully constituted appeal panel of the Judicial Conduct Committee — to apologise unconditionally,” said Mogoeng.

“I am very thankful I have not been ordered to renounce God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and my faith in Him; I have not been ordered to renounce the Holy Bible; I have not been ordered to renounce prayer; and I have not been ordered to renounce my love for Israel and Palestine and my love for the Jews and the Palestinians as well as my love for all people.”

According to Mogoeng, he told the committee he wouldn’t apologise unless he was legally obliged to do so.

“I would never refuse to apologise for or retract what I believe to be wrong, however correct I might have initially believed it to be. Even if it is a 10-year-old child who would have helped me to so understand. I would apologise to him or her for the wrong I would then be convinced I have done to him or others,” he said.

“But I will never apologise for nor retract what I believe to be correct. I would never, no matter how many millions, how many presumably or actually influential people say so. I would never, unless forced by the law, align myself with principles or values repugnant to my sense of what is just, right or wrong. I would be happy to stand alone no matter the consequences.”

On social media, many debated whether his apology was sincere. 

Some said the apology, despite how it was delivered, was good enough, while others called for further action to be taken against him.

Here is a snapshot of what many had to say: