Aspirant judge told to avoid social media after JSC interview collapses

JOHANNESBURG - An aspirant judge who appeared before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has been cautioned against the use of social media after his interview collapsed.

Fort Hare University professor, Moses Phooko, withdrew his candidature during his interview on Thursday, which took a turn for the worst.

Six successful candidates were recommended by the JSC for posts in the Gauteng High Court.

Professor Phooko's disputes with his former employers, the universities of Johannesburg and Limpopo, came back to haunt him during his interview on Thursday.

Phooko admitted posting on Facebook and X about the disputes he was involved in, which resulted in a court order by UJ prohibiting him from disseminating injurious falsehoods.

This was followed by both Chief Justice Mandisa Maya and the Electoral Court’s Judge Dumisani Zondi warning him against social media.

Zondi: "My advice to you is if you are really serious to progresss in life generally, just stay away from from social media because it attracts so much negative energy that you don’t need." 

Maya: "Social media is the bane of this generation whilst the internet, we appreciate the benefits it has brought but it has caused huge damage to our young people."

It was after this that Phooko withdrew his candidature but the commissioners, including Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo, did not let him leave without sharing a moment of compassion.

"I want to encourage you to say come let's talk because I don't want my investment in you to be lost. What has happened here today should not discourage you, there is still a lot that you can do and you can still come back."

Phooko was encouraged to take some cooling off time before returning to the JSC.