Recent allegations that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng sought to impose his religious beliefs on judges by inviting them to a seminar addressed by leadership expert John Maxwell were disingenuous, African Christian Democratic President Kenneth Meshoe said in a press statement today.
“The latest attacks on Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng are not only unfortunate, but they also exposed the ignorance and deep hatred that some of his detractors and critics have for the man because of his Christian faith. To accuse him of inviting Constitutional Court judges and senior judges in the lower courts to an evangelical meeting, as some have alleged, is an outright lie,” he said.
He continued: “To further accuse the Chief Justice of ‘imposing his religious beliefs’ on his colleagues is disingenuous and a manipulation of facts in order to deliberately mislead the public and to continue to fuel the baseless allegations that Justice Mogoeng is unfit for the office of the Chief Justice.
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“Justice Mogoeng invited his fellow judges to a Leadership Seminar addressed by an internationally recognised leadership expert and author who has sold over 19 million books. According to Wikipedia, John Maxwell is the number one leadership expert in the world. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders and many other diverse organisations.
“Is Justice Mogoeng condemned by some so-called legal experts because this John Maxwell he wanted his fellow judges to listen to is a Christian? Why is it wrong for judges to be invited to a leadership seminar addressed by a man who is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Business Week best-selling author? Is it because this leadership expert shares the same faith as Judge Mogoeng and they don’t like Mogoeng’s Christian faith?
“Scandals from some members of the judiciary and government that have been reported in the media confirm the urgent need that our leaders have to be exposed to John Maxwell’s teachings that do not impose his Christian beliefs on anyone. Judge Mogoeng’s detractors should be honest and acknowledge that our nation that is being destroyed by the cancer of corruption needs lessons on ethics and integrity that permeate from and are fundamental to Maxwell’s teachings.
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“Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng should not only have invited Constitutional Court Judges to John Maxwell’s Leadership Seminar, but he should have also invited President Jacob Zuma, his cabinet, all Members of Parliament and all members of the Judicial Commission. John Maxwell is able and qualified to help government address challenges of lack of capacity that have hindered quality service delivery.”
