Cape Town tribunal delay [Updated]

One of the legal teams in the Diocesan Tribunal hearings considering an allegation of rape against a Cape Town priest has asked for more time to submit their closing arguments.

As a consequence, the release of the Tribunal’s judgement will be delayed until a date still to be determined in the second half of September.

Tribunal of the Diocese of Cape Town

Update – September 4:

This week saw new developments in this matter:

1. The High Court in Cape Town declined to issue an order preventing the complainant from naming the defendant on social media. The church was not involved in this hearing. (The defendant’s name was already in the public domain in the church’s own proceedings.) The Safe and Inclusive Church Commission issued this short comment in response to media inquiries about the case: “The Church was not involved in the High Court case which was brought by the Reverend Melvin Booysen against the Reverend June Major and we ask that you contact Mr Booysen’s lawyer, for comment. Additionally, due to the ongoing work of the tribunal, it would be inappropriate for us to comment. The Church remains focused on publishing the verdict of the Tribunal it held into the alleged rape reported by Rev June Major towards the end of September.”
2. The heads of argument filed by lawyers for the Diocese of Cape Town’s Presenter of the charges against the defendants, and for the defendant, are available at the following link: https://bit.ly/38zJhgI