Alleged theft of church funds comes back to haunt Constitutional Court candidate

The alleged theft of church funds has come back to haunt a hopeful vying for appointment to the Constitutional Court as a judge. 

Dr Madumetja Malepe, a retired academic, is one of the candidates who have appeared before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in an interview on Tuesday.

Interviews are being held by the JSC over the next two weeks to fill vacancies in the country's superior court. 

Malepe has had a turbulent interview before the JSC, with commissioners questioning, while she only had 2 peer-reviewed articles in 25 years as an academic, and the authenticity of the journals where her articles were published was questioned. 

READ: Candidate vying for Constitutional Court spot fields tough questions

But it was the question raised by Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi about the theft of church funds, which she was accused of, that had her lowering her voice and struggling for words.

"And then you also said that you were not found guilty, but you did not attach the finding of the board of inquiry that acquitted you," Ngcukaitobi pressed.  

"I requested the church to provide me with a little bit of testimonial that shows that I was not found guilty in that case," to which Malepe answered.

Malepe was also hammered for being under debt review and the risk of sequestration. 

But she has told commissioners that she has managed to significantly reduce her debt and will not be declared insolvent.