Labour Court judge candidate admits to cooking books at her law firm
Dawn Norton was one of four candidates who appeared before the JSC on Tuesday for a post at the Labour Court.
The Judicial Service Commission interviews a candidate to fill vacancies on the Labour Court and Electoral Court benches on 1 April 2025. Picture: Kgomotso Modise/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - A candidate seeking to be a judge in the Labour Court has admitted to cooking the books of her law firm before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Dawn Norton was one of four candidates who appeared before the JSC on Tuesday for a post at the Labour Court.
It was an icy interview for Norton, who has had several acting stints at the Labour Court.
The theft of R17 million from a trust fund account by one of the directors at her firm, Mkhabela Huntley Attorneys, has hung as a dark cloud over her head.
Commissioners honed in on the theft of the R17 million by her fellow director in 2014, which she disclosed but was slammed for how she handled it.
"There are two wrongs that you have done - a person stole money, you did not want to report it and ultimately, you want to plead guilty about that specific issue which you say that you agree. I want you to admit to the second issue that you deliberately misrepresented the facts in order to get a fidelity fund certificate. Am I right?" Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said.
Malema pointed out that even after the money was stolen, Norton and her directors lied to the Legal Practice Council (LPC), something she eventually admitted.
Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi also pointed out Norton’s failure to report this matter to the police, while the Democratic Alliance (DA)’s Glynnis Breytenbach questioned whether she would have reported the theft to the police if her fellow director had paid all the money back.
At the end of the interview, all Norton could say was: "Uhm, ja look, we managed the situation as best as we could."