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John Jeffery (South African politician)

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The Honourable
John Jeffery
MP
Deputy Minister of Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 July 2013
PresidentJacob Zuma
Cyril Ramaphosa
MinisterJeff Radebe
Michael Masutha
Ronald Lamola
Preceded byAndries Nel
Member of the National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
1999
Personal details
NationalitySouth African
Political partyAfrican National Congress

John Harold Jeffery (born 31 October 1963) has been the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development in South Africa since 2013.[1] He was appointed by President Jacob Zuma in a cabinet reshuffle on 9 July 2013,[2][3][4] and has remained in the post throughout the tenure of current President Cyril Ramaphosa.[5][6][7]

Life and career

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Jeffery was born in Mauritius and grew up in George in South Africa.[2] He has an BA in Political Science and English, an LLB, and a postgraduate diploma in Environmental Law from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.[7][8][1] He was active in anti-Apartheid politics,[9][10][11] and he practiced briefly as an attorney,[9] including, in the early 1990s, on cases involving political violence in KwaZulu-Natal.[2][12] He left to pursue his political career in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature,[2] to which he belonged from 1994 to 1999.[13] In South Africa's second democratic elections in 1999, he was elected to the National Assembly on the African National Congress (ANC) list for KwaZulu-Natal.[7] While a Member of Parliament, he served on the Rules Committee and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development.[7] From 1999 to 2005, he was Parliamentary Counsellor to Deputy President Jacob Zuma,[1] and he was also Parliamentary Counsellor to President Thabo Mbeki[14] and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.[15][3] He has served on the ANC National Executive Committee.[1]

Legislation

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Jeffrey has been described as a "champion" of the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill.[16] According to the Business Day, as a senior member of the Portfolio Committee on Justice he drove the ANC caucus's efforts to pass the controversial Legal Practice Act,[17] for which he continued to advocate after he was appointed to the Ministry.[18][19]

Controversies

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Remark about Lindiwe Mazibuko

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In a parliamentary debate in June 2013, Jeffrey compared Lindiwe Mazibuko's stature as opposition leader with her "weight," by which many understood him to mean her body weight. According to the Hansard, he said, "The Honourable Mazibuko may be a person of some weight, is she a person of some stature?"[20] Following national media coverage,[21][22][23] the ANC issued a statement saying that Jeffery had not intended to comment on Mazibuko's physical appearance, but that he would unconditionally withdraw his remark.[24] He later apologised to Mazibuko in Parliament.[25][26]

Powers of the Public Protector and Nkandla judgement

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According to the Mail and Guardian, by 2013 Jeffery had "a history of sparring with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela over the extent of her [office's] independence."[27] In 2014 and 2015, while Deputy Minister, he made headlines for arguing that the Nkandla report and other decisions by the Public Protector were not legally binding.[28][29][30][31][32][33] In April 2016, he defended President Jacob Zuma in a parliamentary debate on an unsuccessful motion to remove him from office following a Constitutional Court judgement about his non-compliance with the Public Protector's report. Jeffery reportedly said that, while the judgement found that the President's conduct had been inconsistent with the Constitution, it did not find that Zuma had committed a "serious violation."[34][35] He also reportedly said that even the incumbent Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, was unsure about the extent of the office's powers, leading Madonsela to respond on Twitter.[36][37][38] In 2015, she claimed that Jeffery had initiated efforts to shrink the Office of the Public Protector,[39] which he denied.[40]

In 2017, Jeffery received further media attention for defending replacements Zuma had made at the Judicial Service Commission, which recommends judicial appointments. Jeffery argued, as he already had in 2014,[41][42][43] against the view that Zuma was undermining the independence of the judiciary.[44][45][46]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mr John Harold Jeffery". South African Government. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Manyathi-Jele, Nomfundo (1 October 2013). "Q&A with Deputy Minister John Jeffery". De Rebus. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b Tabane, Rapule; Makinana, Andisiwe (9 July 2013). "Zuma's new Cabinet not all it's cracked up to be". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  4. ^ "President Jacob Zuma announces members of the National Executive". The Presidency. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  5. ^ Capazoria, Bianca (6 November 2017). "Justice department mulls changes to sex-offences legislation". Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  6. ^ Nicolson, Greg (11 June 2015). "The Gathering 2015: Fired up social justice panelists roast deputy justice minister". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d "John Jeffery". People's Assembly. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Consultation and the Constitution". Helen Suzman. August 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b "CV Deputy Minister Jeffery". Department of Justice. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  10. ^ Bhebhe, Ngqabutho Nhlanganiso (1996). Mobilization, Conflict and Repression: The United Democratic Front and Political Struggles in the Pietermaritzburg region, 1983-1991 (PDF). p. 45.
  11. ^ Bhebhe, Ngqabutho Nhlanganiso (1996). "Mobilization, Conflict and Repression: The United Democratic Front and Political Struggles in the Pietermaritzburg region, 1983-1991" (MA thesis). p.45.
  12. ^ "Interview: obstacles to peace in Natal" (PDF). Sechaba. 24 (8): 20–22. August 1990. ISSN 0037-0509.
  13. ^ Manyathi-Jele, Nomfundo (July 2014). "New justice ministry announced". De Rebus.
  14. ^ "Response of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, to the Debate on the Budget Vote of the Presidency: National Assembly, 13 June 2007". DIRCO. 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ^ De Lange, Deon (21 August 2011). "Begging for the question". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Legislation: ICC withdrawal Bill loses its champion". LegalBrief. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  17. ^ Hartley, Wyndham (16 July 2013). "Jeffery appointment could delay legal bill". Business Day. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Why we need Legal Practice Bill - Deputy Minister". LegalBrief. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  19. ^ Smuts, Dene; Jeffery, John (28 November 2013). "Legal Practice Bill: Fusion in disguise". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Hansard: NA: Debate on Vote No 2". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  21. ^ Gwarube, Siviwe (12 June 2013). "Jeffery's low blow: That fatuous 'fat' comment". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  22. ^ "ANC defends Mazibuko 'weight' comment". eNCA. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  23. ^ Morudu, Palesa (18 June 2013). "Parliamentary memo: don't forget to send in the clowns". Business Day. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  24. ^ Makinana, Andisiwe (18 June 2013). "Jeffery apologises to Mazibuko for weight comment". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  25. ^ "ANC withdraws Mazibuko weight remark". Sunday Times. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  26. ^ Saner, Emine (14 June 2013). "Top 10 sexist moments in politics: Julia Gillard, Hillary Clinton and more". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  27. ^ "Madonsela can take Nkandla report to Parliament, says Jeffery". The Mail & Guardian. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  28. ^ Jeffery, John (6 October 2014). "Are the PP's findings really legally binding?". Politicsweb. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Protector's decision not binding, says Jeffery". Sunday Times. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  30. ^ "Public Protector ruling not legally binding - Jeffery". News24. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  31. ^ "Protector's decision not legally binding: Jeffery". Moneyweb. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  32. ^ Manyathi-Jele, Nomfundo (28 February 2015). "Public Protector's findings not legally binding". De Rebus. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  33. ^ Masombuka, Sipho; Skelton, Dominic (5 February 2015). "'Who made Thuli God?'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  34. ^ "MPs vote against removing President from office". South African Government News Agency. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Zuma did not violate Constitution - Deputy Justice Minister". Polity. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  36. ^ Williams, Denise (8 April 2016). "Leave me alone, says Madonsela". The Citizen. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  37. ^ "Public Protector fires back at John Jeffery". eNCA. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  38. ^ "I've never been confused about protector's powers - Madonsela". News24. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  39. ^ Evans, Sarah (27 November 2015). "Public protector: 'Hearts have hardened'". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  40. ^ Jeffery, John (6 December 2015). "Thuli Madonsela's conspiracy theories don't wash". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  41. ^ Jeffery, John (27 February 2014). "ANC: Judicial independence crucial to democracy". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  42. ^ "Jeffrey responds to De Klerk statements". IOL. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  43. ^ "Zuma is not undermining the courts: Jeffery". eNCA. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  44. ^ Jeffery, John (10 March 2017). "Op-Ed: There's no conspiracy behind Zuma's decision to replace three members of the JSC". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  45. ^ "Zuma proposes three new members of JSC amidst a storm of criticism". Business Day. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  46. ^ "Zuma takes first steps to 'capture' South Africa's judiciary: report". 27 March 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
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