Cyril consults on nomination of chief justice

President Cyril Ramaphosa has embarked on a process of consultation with the leaders of political parties represented in parliament and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to convey his nomination of Judge Mandisa Maya as chief justice.

Maya serves as deputy chief justice and has held the positions of deputy president and president of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

“The position of chief justice will become vacant on 31 August when the term of office of Justice Raymond Zondo comes to an end,” the Presidency said yesterday.

“The chief justice was appointed as a justice of the Constitutional Court for a 12-year term from 1 September 2012. The chief justice will, therefore, complete his term as a justice of the Constitutional Court with effect from 31 August.

“President Ramaphosa has invited the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly to make submissions on the suitability or otherwise of Maya.”

Ramaphosa has drawn the attention of leaders of political parties to 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.

She attained BProc (University of Transkei), LLB (University of Natal), and LLM (Duke University, North Carolina) degrees as well as three LLD degrees (honorary) from the universities of Fort

Hare, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela.

Ramaphosa has embarked on the process for consultation in terms of Section 174(3) of the constitution.

He has also, in terms of Section 174(3) of the constitution, consulted the JSC, chaired by Zondo, on the process of the president’s nomination of Justice Dumisani Zondi as deputy president of the SCA. Zondi currently serves as a justice of the SCA.

The term of office of the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Justice Xola Petse, will come to an end on 10 July when he turns 70 and will be automatically discharged from office.

Following a successful career in practice, Zondi – who holds a BJuris from the University of Fort Hare, LLB from the University of Natal and an LLM from Georgetown University in the US – was appointed to the Western Cape Bench in 2007. In 2011, he became a judge of the Competition Appeal Court.

Zondi was elevated to the SCA in June 2014. In 2022, he was appointed as a chair of the Electoral Court.

Ramaphosa has invited the JSC to make submissions on Zondi’s suitability for the position for which he has been nominated.

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