Judge Mabel Jansen apologises for comments about rape ahead of hearing
Judge Mabel Jansen has apologised for her social media statements on rape and black culture but has insisted she is not a racist and disputed the allegation that she is not fit to be a judge. The Judicial Conduct Committee, which deals with complaints against judges, is scheduled to hear submissions on a gross misconduct complaint against her on Thursday. Jansen, a judge in the High Court in Pretoria, has been on special leave since a complaint was made about her remarks, which were widely condemned. In a 2015 Facebook discussion on the public page of film maker Gillian Schutte, Jansen made a series of comments, including that 99% of the criminal cases she heard were of "black fathers/uncles/brothers raping children as young as five". She said: "Want to read my files: rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape of minors by black family members. It is never-ending." In private direct messages — later publicly released by Schutte — Jansen said that in black culture, "a women is there to pleas...
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