The Legal Practice Council (LPC) and various legal bodies have strongly condemned what they called “a senseless killing” of a 35-year-old Attorney Jeannette Gallichan near Gandhi Square in Johannesburg on Monday.
Gallichan was on her way to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to represent a mining company in a dispute involving workers who had been allegedly laid off and were seeking compensation.
The LPC’s national spokesperson Kabelo Letebele told YOU FM Newshour that Gallichan was shot and killed by two yet-to-be identified suspects.
“The reports allege that the lawyer was being followed by her murderers before she was gunned down in what appears to be a targeted attack,” said Letebele.
Letebele said that the LPC is concerned with the continued attacks on legal practitioners in the country.
“Any attack on a legal practitioner should be regarded as an attack on the rule of law.
We do note that South Africa has a very high rate of violent crime, but targeting of legal practitioners as this would appear to be the case, really shakes the very foundations of our constitutional democracy.
How does one get justice or a legal interventions and advice as enshrined in the constitution when intimidation and targeted assassination as a solution as opposed to ventilating matters in court,” asked Letebele.
The council has called on authorities to explore every avenue to ensure that those behind such heinous crimes are held accountable.
“The role legal practitioners play in advancing democracy can never be overstated.
We therefore urge law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned when pursuing the suspects behind this attack.
Worse still when the country has made violence against women and children one of its main priorities,” appealed Letebele.
The council said that the judicial system, including the police, courts and stakeholders in the legal practice sector, must put heads together to see how legal practitioners can be protected against such senseless attacks.
Furthermore, the council expressed its deepest condolences to the Gallichan’s, her colleagues and the entire legal sector during this difficult time.
Meanwhile, Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said that investigations are still underway, and no arrests have been made.
“The motive for the attack is still unknown and will form part of the investigation.
We have opened a murder case and are appealing to anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact their nearest police station or call the Crime Stop hotline on 08600 10111,” explained Sibeko.
