Judge Hartle’s ‘peace offering’ of rusks mistaken for bribe, tribunal hears

Detailed summary

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…

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.

A day after Eastern Cape high court Judge Belinda Hartle allegedly racially insulted court clerk Thozamile Semekazi, she left what she described as a peace offering on his desk.

Semekazi, however, did not open the package because he believed it was an attempt to bribe him following the May 2025 incident.

On Wednesday, the Judicial Conduct Tribunal investigating allegations of gross misconduct against Hartle heard that the package was, in fact, a box of rusks, according to Hartle’s lawyer, advocate JC Heunis SC.

Hours before this, Heunis challenged Semekazi’s credibility, citing three audio recordings which he argued could prove that Semekazi had in fact lied under oath.

The recordings, dating back to March 2024, September 2024 and February 2025, allegedly capture telephone conversations between Semekazi and journalist Ray Hartle, Judge Hartle’s husband, who may be called as a witness.

Their existence came to light only this week, while Semekazi was being cross-examined by Heunis, prompting objections from evidence leader advocate T Kalakgosi, who questioned why the recordings had not been disclosed earlier.

The dispute has now left the tribunal to decide on whether the recordings should be admitted as evidence.

Hartle faces allegations of gross misconduct after Semekazi accused her of using racist and derogatory language towards him on 15 May 2025, following a disagreement over the delivery of court files.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Maverick. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.