Judge Xola Petse has taken the lead at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) this week. He leads the committee, with 22 other commissioners to select the next Chief Justice. According to the Daily Maverick, four candidates have been nominated for the position, namely Judge Dunstan Mlambo, Judge Raymond Zondo, Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga and Judge Mandisa Maya.
The much-anticipated selection process takes place in Sandton from Tuesday to Saturday.
Professor Omphemetse Sibanda, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management and Law at the University of Limpopo, comments on the selection process. He believes all nominees “will have the opportunity to publicly demonstrate that they have the requisite skills and ability to secure the judicial appointment, given a fair opportunity to contest the position”.
Sibanda argues that the president did not have a large pool of candidates from which to select. “As previously highlighted, the fairness and legitimacy of the JSC process will be put to the test, and any inkling of the position being predetermined will severely undermine public confidence in and the legitimacy of the country’s foremost defender of the Constitution.”
In a separate piece on News24, legal journalist Karyn Maughan is in full support of Judge Madlanga. She says Madlanga has written “some of the Constitutional Court’s most far-reaching and powerful decisions”. She believes the next Chief Justice needs to be “humble, empathetic and oriented to act in service of others. Justice Madlanga is such an individual”.
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analyses, and editorials:
JSC interviews: Any hint of the position being predetermined will severely undermine public confidence in the new Chief Justice – Daily Maverick
Meet the nominees for SA’s next chief justice: Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga – News24 (for subscribers)
Mbuyiseli Madlanga interview kicks off JSC’s vetting of chief justice hopefuls – Business Live (for subscribers)
Xi’s ‘China Dream’ of absolute control poses the greatest threat to open societies – Daily Maverick
Welcome to South Africa, where corruption is just the norm – News24 (for subscribers)
Is specialty instant coffee any better than Nescafé? – Business Live
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