RACISM CHARGE : Judge Hartle’s ‘peace offering’ of rusks mistaken for bribe, tribunal hears
A court clerk accusing Judge Belinda Hartle of using a racial slur believed a box of rusks left as a peace offering was an attempt to bribe him. But during cross-examination, her defence sought to poke holes in his version of events, questioning his credibility and why he waited almost a month before reporting the alleged racial slur to police.
Judge Belinda Hartle's tribunal heard allegations that she used racist language against court clerk Thozamile Semekazi. Semekazi claimed Hartle made racial slurs towards him after a disagreement about court files, but Hartle admitted to swearing but denied using racial language. Defense counsel questioned why Semekazi waited a month to report the racial slur, and introduced three recordings from 2024 and 2025 that allegedly showed Semekazi lying about contacting Hartle. The recordings' admission as evidence was opposed by the defense, citing fairness concerns.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
