Judges Matter not surprised by dismissal of Judge Hlophe's bid to halt impeachment vote against him

JOHANNESBURG - Judges Matter said it was not surprised after embattled Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe’s Hail Mary court bid to try and stop Parliament from voting on his removal from office, was chucked out earlier on Wednesday.

Last week, Hlophe launched an urgent application in his own Western Cape High Court, seeking an interdict halting the vote, which is scheduled to get under way Wednesday afternoon.

He wanted it stayed pending the outcome of a Constitutional Court challenge he’s launched, in which he’s gone after the process that was followed in the run-up to the vote.

It was, however, struck from the roll on Wednesday morning.

READ: Parly's impeachment vote against Hlophe, Motata 'significant' & 'historic' - Judges Matter

Judges Matter’s Mbekezeli Benjamin: "We anticipated he would face some difficulty persuading the court that this case is genuinely urgent considering that he knew by December 2023 that Parliament was going to proceed on the vote for his removal and he proceeded to file a court application in the Constitutional Court.

"Those reasons were part of the reason why his case was seen as not urgent and we’re glad to see this matter is reaching some level of finality," he said.