Is Judge Thozokile Masipa's verdict for the Oscar Pistorius trial coming back to haunt her?
The 67-year-old judge was reportedly grilled during an interview for the new position of judge president in Limpopo, South Africa. She was one of the seven candidates for the prestigious position.
According to The Guardian, despite her outstanding record, one particular case drew attention to Judge Masipa's curriculum vitae.
In October of 2014, she acquitted the Olympic athlete of murdering her girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and instead saw fit to convict him of culpable homicide instead. He was given a five-year sentence in a Pretoria prison.
The former journalist was highly criticized for her decision by the public, including the Steenkamp family. The National Prosecuting Authority definitely didn't agree with her decision and proceeded to appeal for the Oscar Pistorius trial to be brought up to the Court of Appeals.
The appeal aimed to question Judge Masipa's final verdict for the most eagerly watched case in the country.
Even so, Judge Masipa believed that the criticism of the murder case did not reflect her character as a judge in general.
"I do not think the criticism was about me at all," she answered after being asked about the stigma the court received after the said trial. "It was about the outcome. Because people were expecting a different outcome, they were just expressing frustration. I don't think I'm stigmatised ... perhaps I am too naive about that."
She continued, "Since Pistorius I have been given other cases. The counsel that have appeared before me still give me the same respect before and after."
South Africa's justice minister, Michael Masutha, also called her the "most famous judge in the world."
Could her judgment over the Oscar Pistorius trial stop her from becoming the judge president at the Limpopo court?
