Johannesburg, South Africa – We will have our first female Chief Justice after the presidency announced that Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya would succeed Raymond Zondo, who is set to retire at the end of the month after leading the judiciary since 2022.
Maya, who previously headed South Africa’s second-highest court, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), will officially assume her new role on September 1.
The Chief Justice is the head of the Constitutional Court and the judiciary. His duties include chairing the heads of court body, the National Efficiency Enhancement Committee (a stakeholder liaison committee), and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
appointment follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s consultation, in accordance with constitutional prescripts, with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly, the presidency said in a statement late on Thursday.
Ramaphosa had long indicated his intention to nominate Maya to the position of Chief Justice. As the judicial watchdog Judges Matter notes, process for appointing the Chief Justice differs significantly, giving the president much more power than in the appointment of other judges.
constitution provides that the president, as the head of the national executive (which means with the support of the cabinet), after consulting with the JSC and leaders of the political parties represented in the National Assembly, ‘appoints the chief justice’.
Ramaphosa, however, has opted for transparency by requesting two JSC hearings for the position: the first resulted in Zondo’s appointment in 2022, and the second, held in May this year, led to Maya’s upcoming appointment. Unlike Zondo’s hearing, Maya was the sole candidate for the position.
Notably, despite the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recommending Maya for the position both occasions, Ramaphosa chose Zondo as Chief Justice and Maya as his deputy in 2022. Legal observers had speculated that since Zondo was scheduled to retire in 2024, appointing Maya as deputy would provide her with ample time to prepare for the top position.
“The JSC assured the president of justice Maya’s suitability to lead the judiciary in the country based on the interview, justice Maya’s qualifications and judicial record, her leadership qualities, her experience as a judge in various courts, her past leadership of the Supreme Court of Appeal and her role as deputy chief justice in the period leading to her nomination by the president,” the presidency noted in its statement.
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