Judge Elsje-Marie Bezuidenhout has been ordered to apologise to ABC leader Philani Mavundla and former Umvoti Municipality Speaker Mfundo Masondo for a delay in their June 2024 matter.
Following a year-long delay in delivering the reasons for a judgment, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Elsje-Marie Bezuidenhout has been ordered by the Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC) to apologise in writing to Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) President Philani Mavundla and former Umvoti Municipality speaker Mfundo Masondo within 30 days.
Deputy Chief Justice Dunstan Mlambo, in a ruling delivered earlier this week, found that Judge Bezuidenhout’s conduct amounted to a grossly negligent breach of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
“The written apology must be provided to the Secretariat for onward transmission to the complainants within 30 days of receipt of this ruling,” Mlambo ordered.
Mavundla, the former mayor of Umvoti Municipality, and Masondo were removed from office in a no-confidence vote orchestrated by an ANC-IFP coalition in May 2024.
