Maybe I was tired from my Sunday morning run, or that it took just minutes to go through the screaming headlines of the Sunday Times.
Whatever the reason, I ended up watching the live TV coverage of Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s Judicial Service Commission hearing. Having seen all the media criticism – and particularly that day’s Zapiro cartoon which labelled him “Moegoe Moegoe” – I was quite prepared to hate this threat to our democracy.
Yet, after a riveting hour or so of hardcore reality TV, I came away with one conclusion: I am happy to have him as my Chief Justice.
I can understand why he lost his cool and why he bristled at many questions: this Salem-style witch-hunt has been unprecedented in the history of our judiciary. Can you imagine an Edwin Cameron or an Arthur Chaskalson being subjected to such an inquisition?
I think Justice Mogoeng handled the whole situation with dignity. He spoke well, he articulated his points clearly. And he refused to grovel. Those are the sort of qualities we need in a chief justice.
We also need to ponder the power of the chattering elite, who believe themselves liberals and intellectuals, who sit in their coffee shops and come up with solutions for the rest of us.
But then again, I may just be speaking as a homophobic misogynist…