Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has called on the country to treat the possible ratings downgrade to junk status delicately.

Giving the keynote address at the OR Tambo Memorial Lecture in Newtown, Johannesburg on Thursday night, Mogoeng cautioned that leaders must do everything to avoid the country being relegated to the bottom.

“Let us do whatever we can, all of us put together, to create an investor friendly climate. We need to seriously reflect on the dangers we are going to go through should we be downgraded to junk status.”

Mogoeng says South Africans need to rally together to defend the country’s fragile economy and to foster political stability in the country.

He says the judiciary plays a central role in maintaining stability in South Africa and all South Africans must respect and obey its rulings.

The country’s top judge has also slammed leaders who put self interest before those of the people. He says no leader should be totally secure in his position.

“You must be afraid of any leader who is prepared to do anything to become a leader. The political organisation that I belong to and I won’t mention it now, election time, people were fighting for positions. Let us be wary of any in our midst who has fallen in love with position and power. You can be an effective leader without occupying any position,” added Mogoeng.