The Judicial Conduct Tribunal sitting in Sandton in Gauteng, has heard that the complainant against Eastern Cape judge, Belinda Hartle, has received death threats.
Hartle is accused of repeatedly swearing at court clerk, Thozamile Semekazi and allegedly using the K-word during an incident which allegedly took place in May 2025 at the East London High Court.
The Tribunal has seen Semekazi breaking down while testifying over the incident.
He has opted to continue testifying despite the alleged threats.
The Tribunal’s evidence leader Advocate Benny Kalakgosi has raised concerns over the complainant’s mental state in light of these alleged threats.
“What he had indicated to us is that he just wants to finish with the testimony to which myself and Advocate Pretorius, we still remain concerned. It doesn’t address the question of his state of mind whether mentally he is prepared to continue under those circumstances. As a result, we then resolved to say we are going to bring it into to the attention of the president and the members of the tribunal.”