ON December 6, 2022, the Sunday Independent published an article titled “Sitting judge wrecked my marriage, divorcee claims.” The article was based on a letter of complaint addressed to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) and the Office of the Chief Justice, in which a divorcee attributed the dissolution of his marriage to the actions of Deputy Judge President (DJP) Aubrey Phago Ledwaba of the North Gauteng High Court.
In the complaint, Mr Sipho Malefane made serious allegations against DJP Ledwaba, accusing him of “unethical, disgraceful, and unbecoming” conduct. In a follow-up article titled “Hear me too, woman in divorce insists,” the Sunday Independent published statements by Ms Baleseng Ratlhogo (formerly Malefane), who, through her legal counsel, rejected the claims as “baseless, spurious, false, and defamatory”.
The Sunday Independent acknowledges the importance of accurate and responsible journalism and is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards.
We recognise the harm caused by these publications to the personal and professional reputation of DJP Ledwaba and all other parties involved. We take this matter very seriously.
Accordingly, the Sunday Independent hereby unconditionally retracts both articles and offers an unreserved apology to DJP Ledwaba and all affected parties for the harm caused. To avoid further damage, the contents of the original articles will not be repeated.
The Sunday Independent further undertakes to not publish the contents of the articles going forward.