Latest news with #Sikhakhane
Eyewitness News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Mbenenge tribunal: Sikhakhane argues cultural, linguistic nuances important in analysis of person's actions
JOHANNESBURG - Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane has argued that cultural and linguistic nuances are important in the analysis of the appropriateness of a person's actions. Sikhakhane made the assertion before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal sitting in Sandton, where he continued his cross-examination of expert witness, Lisa Vetten. The senior counsel submitted that the evidence provided by the research associate at Wits University was deficient as Vetten did not possess the cultural background to adequately interpret the interactions between Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge and high court secretary, Andiswa Mengo. Mengo, who accuses the judge president of making unwanted sexual advances towards her between 2021 and 2022, had several exchanges with the top judge on the social media platform, WhatsApp, in their language, isiXhosa. Vetten testified that Mbenenge, on several occasions, insisted that Mengo send him her pictures despite her reluctance to engage with him. Sikhakhane said that in some cultures, courting meant persistence. "The word 'uk'qasa.' Are you familiar with the Zulu word 'uk'shela'?" To which Vetten answered: "I've heard it." "Are you familiar with the word 'uk'phemisa'? Would you differ with me when I say those three words emerging from those particular cultures, in them, they connote and involve persistence, pleading?" asked Sikhakhane. He added that this was an aspect that was missing in Vetten's analysis. "When you are not aware of particular cultural notions, you can miss in language a discussion between two people of a particular culture if your interpretation comes one from a position of ignorance or you come from a position of what you would call a superior culture. A culture that assumes that its understanding of things must be universal." ALSO READ:
Eyewitness News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Mbenenge's legal team says Mengo did not fear authority as suggested by witness
JOHANNESBURG - Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge's legal team said that high court secretary, Andiswa Mengo, did not fear authority as suggested by expert witness, Lisa Vetten. Vetten testified before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal sitting in Sandton, Johannesburg that Mengo may have experienced difficulty in rejecting the sexual advances made by the top judge, given his seniority and influence. But Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane argued that the contrary may be true. ALSO READ: • Mbenenge tribunal: Advocate Sikhakhane pokes holes in expert witness Vetten's testimony • Mbenenge's legal counsel accuses gender expert Vetten of bias in her analysis The judges' secretary accused the Eastern Cape's highest judge of making unwanted sexual advances towards her between 2021 and 2022, leading to the tribunal's investigation. Vetten was cross-examined before the tribunal on her interpretation of the exchanges between the pair on social media platform, WhatsApp, between 2021 and 2022. The gender expert previously conceded that she did not have sight of the entire record but Sikhakhane probed Vetten on whether her testimony would change if she was aware of Mengo's ability to challenge authority. Sikhakhane: "When you make an assumption that someone fears authority and therefore, that's why you should not believe them when they say 'yes', believe them when they say this, when I give you an example of a particular complainant has exhibited a propensity different from your assumption which is actually does not fear authority, would it not affect your analysis?" Vetten: "It would depend on the information."
IOL News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC awarded Honorary Doctor of Laws at University of Zululand
A Call for Decolonisation: Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC's Inspiring Graduation Speech at the University of Zululand Image: Facebook In a historic moment that reverberated through the halls of the University of Zululand, Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) during the institution's second graduation session. But this accolade was more than mere ceremony; it was a clarion call—a fiery declaration of resistance, decolonisation, and unwavering commitment to justice. Sikhakhane, a renowned legal thinker, author of Odyssey of Liberation, and a stalwart voice of activism, used his acceptance speech to challenge the status quo, ignite the spirit of rebellion, and urge a collective movement toward genuine liberation. A Humble Beginning, A Bold Call He opened with humility, acknowledging the honour and its significance. 'I am grateful and humbled by this recognition,' Sikhakhane said. 'I always thought such an honour was reserved for the older generation, most of whom are en route to their graves. But to receive it from this university, a place I hold dear, affirms the ongoing struggle for our liberation.' He paid homage to the pioneers of resistance—those who dared to challenge imperialist, colonial, and apartheid systems—and called on future leaders to embody integrity and moral courage. 'As a lawyer, I must emphasise that unwavering courage and integrity are your most vital qualities,' he declared. 'They may not make you rich, but they will build your character and earn you respect. We must confront the worship of money - the 'pagan god'—which ruling elites and society alike have elevated above our shared humanity.' Law Is Not Justice: A Critique and a Call for Revolution Sikhakhane's critique of the legal system continued as he emphasised that 'Law is not justice.' 'It often disguises itself as neutral and universal, but is rooted in specific religious and cultural frameworks designed to reproduce and entrench social hierarchies. Recognising the co-constitutive relationship between settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and the psychology of colonialism is vital for true liberation.' He called for a revolutionary reimagining of society based on decolonisation. 'Decolonisation is not an end but a process—'the veritable creation of new men,' as Fanon said. It demands that we completely question the foundations of our knowledge, systems, and identities.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Challenging Western Narratives and Building a New Society Sikhakhane challenged leaders and intellectuals to contest Western civilisation's dominant narratives. 'Our Eurocentric legal and educational systems, and their apologists, only push us backwards,' he said. 'Western civilisation, as it stands today, is in disarray. If our point of departure remains European—if we accept their histories and standards—we are not truly free. It is time to tell Europe they are too young to teach us about being and knowing.' He called for the reconstitution of the state, arguing that it is time for citizens' assemblies—genuine platforms to rethink our revolution and draft a constitution rooted in liberation. He urged everyone to see themselves as active creators of this new reality, emphasising the power of individual and collective will in shaping the future. The Unfinished Revolution: A Call for Collective Resistance Sikhakhane's speech was infused with urgency, quoting Revolution by Okri. 'They live as if everything is settled in the world. But nothing is settled. Not our dreams, nor our fears, nor the boundary between things. 'The land is not settled, nor the realm of sleep, nor the deep mines where our fathers weep, nor the deep wells where mothers call out our names. 'Those steel walls never kept out the eyes of hunger, which wander the world like thunder.' He called for active resistance against systemic injustice. 'Join me for the redemption of the people of God - whose humanity has been devoured by the cold hearts of leaders,' he implored. 'Let us create a new world where all humanity matters, where the sub-human status of African people is erased from history, never to be resurrected as ghosts to haunt future generations.' A Poetic and Prophetic Vision for Liberation Sikhakhane's closing words were poetic, invoking his own words and Margaret Walker's For My People. 'Let the new earth rise. Let another world be born. Let a bloody peace be written in the sky. Let a second generation full of courage issue forth, Let a people-loving freedom come to growth, let a beautiful healing and a strength of final clenching be the pulsing in our spirits and our blood.'
