During the height of the pandemic, the Constitutional Court of South Africa moved to virtual hearings via Microsoft Teams. The justices were in their robes, the advocates were prepared with their intricate heads of argument, and the gravity of the law was palpable.
The Interruption
As a senior Advocate was deep into a complex argument regarding the separation of powers, a piercing sound cut through the digital silence:
“COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!”
The Advocate paused, cleared his throat, and continued. A few seconds later, louder and more insistent:
“COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!!”
It turned out that the learned counsel, who was appearing remotely from a more rural part of the country, had a very vocal rooster right outside his home office window. The bird had decided that the Constitutional Court was the perfect platform for its morning debut.
The Judicial Response
In any other country, this might have been a moment of high tension. But in true South African fashion, the Bench handled it with grace and dry wit.
One of the Justices (reportedly Justice Chris Jafta) leaned into his microphone and calmly interrupted:
“Counsel, I believe your client is trying to speak out of turn. Unless that rooster has been admitted as an Amicus Curiae (Friend of the Court), I suggest you find the ‘Mute’ button or… perhaps a pot.”
The virtual gallery erupted into laughter. The Advocate, red-faced, spent the next three minutes frantically trying to navigate the MS Teams interface to find the mute button while the rooster continued to provide its “expert testimony” in the background.
