Cape Town —President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he is consulting with political party leaders in Parliament and the Judicial Service Commission to convey his nomination of Mandisa Maya for the new Chief Justice.
Maya is the current Deputy Chief Justice and has held the positions of Deputy President and President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, SA Gov News reported. The Chief Justice position will become vacant when Raymond Zondo’s term of office comes to an end on 31 August 2024.
“The position of Chief Justice will become vacant on 31 August 2024 when the term of office of Justice Raymond Zondo comes to an end. The Chief Justice was appointed as a Justice of the Constitutional Court for a 12-year term with effect from 1 September 2012. The Chief Justice will therefore complete his term as a Justice of the Constitutional Court with effect from 31 August 2024.” the presidency said.
The President has drawn the attention of leaders of political parties to Judge Maya’s illustrious judicial career, in which she was first appointed as a Judge of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in 2000.
SOUTH AFRICA: JUDICIARY
President Cyril Ramaphosa has nominated Judge Mandisa Maya (currently the Deputy Chief Justice) as the next Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa.
The term of office of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo comes to an end on 31 August 2024, making the… pic.twitter.com/M1YJ8nZeEH
— Athi Mtongana (@AthiMtongana) February 27, 2024
Maya is well-educated with a B.Proc from the University of Transkei, an LLM from Duke University in the USA, as well as three honorary LLDs from the Universities of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela respectively.
According to The Citizen, Maya would be the first woman chief justice.
“Justice Maya will contribute to the ongoing transformation process of the Judiciary. Her ascendency to the apex court will serve as a beacon of hope for scores of young women and make them believe that South Africa is a country of possibilities regardless of gender, social or economic circumstances.” he said.
The president has also nominated Justice Dumisani Hamilton Zondi as Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Zondi currently serves as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The term of office of the current Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Justice Xola Petse, will come to an end on 10 July 2024 when he attains the age of 70 and will be automatically discharged from office.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
