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The resignation of the Chief Justice is a tragedy which should have and
could have been averted. I conveyed to the ANC that the manner with which
the President sought to extend the term of office of the Chief Justice was
unconstitutional, and did so before raising the issue publically. It could
have been corrected right then and there.

In resigning, the Chief Justice has proven to be a man of integrity who
sacrificed himself to give us all the example of integrity to protect the
integrity of our institutions. This is the type of integrity which is
lacking in the other quarters of our Republic where this problem has been
engendered. In the Justice Committee the entire opposition tried to address
the problem by means of a bill, which the ANC would not consider.

We must take heed of the importance of that for which the Chief Justice has
sacrificed himself. It is the lesson that the Constitution must be more
important than any person holding office under it. It is time to stop
tinkering with the Constitution, acting unconstitutionally and bending
legality to one's own political ends. The resignation of the Chief Justice
opens an institutional crisis which can only be addressed by a stronger
commitment to uphold and defend the Constitution.

The Justice Committee must wait for the judgment of the Constitutional Court
and take guidance from it before taking any additional step in any given
direction.