This time, the chief justice was wrong to air his views

We have come to expect that judges, by virtue of their position as highly respected members of the judiciary, as well as their training, should be able to keep their emotions and personal beliefs in check when dealing with issues that affect society. The more serious and contentious the matter, the more circumspect they would be.

This week's utterances by chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng about Covid-19 vaccines appear to call that assumption into question. At a public meeting in Ekurhuleni, Mogoeng prayed against what he called a vaccine "of the devil", which apparently can "infuse 666 in the lives of people and corrupt their DNA".

Mogoeng clearly believes in the existence of such a vaccine, or the possibility thereof. Otherwise he would not have made a point of raising the issue in public. But, as he himself subsequently acknowledged, he is not a scientist nor a medical expert. His views, therefore, appear to fall into a basket of the many conspiracy theories swirling around about the virus. In some cases such theories have led to people disregarding preventive medical and scientific guidelines, with devastating and fatal consequences.

Still, we live in a democracy, and like all other citizens Mogoeng is entitled to believe in whatever he wants, and to express his views - as long as they do not undermine his role as chief justice, or the public standing of his office. For instance, few would have quibbled when he spoke out against the scourge of our time, corruption.

This time, however, we believe that he is wrong. That is because, by virtue of occupying the highest office in our legal system, he is no ordinary citizen. People respect and look up to him and are more likely to take seriously what he says. As with all other positions of leadership, his post imposes on him a special obligation to exercise circumspection in his public pronouncements, especially in times of crisis.

The chief justice's comments come at a time when we are entering a second wave of the pandemic, with the number of cases beginning to spiral upwards, as are fatalities. All of us, especially those in leadership positions, should help to convey messages about how best to combat the spread of the disease.

Current scientific consensus is that, while non-pharmaceutical interventions like wearing masks, regularly washing hands and avoiding crowded places can help contain the disease, it is the introduction of a vaccine that will be a game-changer. By virtue of who he is, Mogoeng's intervention will have the effect of casting doubt on scientific advice and guidance, suggesting as he does that Covid vaccines may not be entirely safe. It risks undermining a scientifically based approach to combating Covid-19 in favour of unproven conspiracy theories.

It could make the fight against the disease more, and not less, difficult. If South Africans choose to believe Mogoeng's theory, they might be tempted to disregard scientific advice and government guidelines, with dire consequences. These would include more people being infected, our hospitals being overwhelmed by patient caseload - and, more grimly, people losing their lives who might otherwise be saved.

The chief justice is well known for wearing his religious beliefs on his sleeve, something he is entitled to do. But he would be crossing the line if the intemperate and ill-considered expression of those beliefs results in the disease getting out of control with more lives being lost unnecessarily.

In the meantime, health statistics suggest that we may see a sharp increase in the number of infections in the coming weeks. We urge South Africans to continue to heed scientifically based advice and guidelines in order to protect themselves and their loved ones from the disease. This is especially so as we enter the festive season, when families and friends will want to get together after a particularly difficult year.