Justice Mandisa Muriel Lindelwa Maya

President of the Supreme Court of Appeal

Justice Mandisa Muriel Lindelwa is the first female President of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Her appointment makes her the third highest ranked judge after the Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic.

Judge Maya began her law career as an attorney's clerk in Mthatha in 1987 before going on to become a court interpreter, prosecutor, state law adviser, a law lecturer and a practising advocate.

After leaving St Johns College she studied law at the University of the Transkei before attending Duke University – the alma mater of former Constitutional Court judge Richard Goldstone – where she received a Master in law.

She has overseen cases as a judge at the Labour Court, an Acting Judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal, and as an Acting Judge at the Constitutional Court. In 2006 she was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal and in 2015 she was appointed as the first female Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Judge Maya has earned a reputation for diligence and hard work and is considered a jurist who understands the law and the progressive values of the Constitution. She is described by lawyers who have appeared before her as an independent-minded judge who is sensitive to the contradictions in a society wracked by gender-based violence and socioeconomic inequalities.