Ramaphosa begins vital consultations for the next deputy chief justice
Judge President Dunstan Mlambo is one of four judges who are in the running to become the country's next deputy chief justice.
Image: Independent Newspapers
In heed to calls from the legal fraternity to appoint the next deputy chief justice, President Cyril Ramaphosa has initiated consultation with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly on this crucial appointment.
The Constitution provides that the president, as head of the National Executive, after consulting the JSC and the leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly, appoints the chief justice (CJ) and the deputy chief justice (DCJ).
The position of deputy chief justice has been vacant since September 1, last year, when the then-Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya rose to the position of chief justice.
Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said in a statement that the president has, in a written submission to Chief Justice Maya, who chairs the JSC, invited the commission for its views on the suitability of four candidates who are being considered for appointment by the President.
The four candidates are judges Dunstan Mlambo, Mahube Molemela, Cagney John Musi, and Lazarus Pule Tlaletsi.
President Ramaphosa underscores in his letter to Maya that the deputy chief justice plays a crucial role in the leadership of the judiciary and in upholding the principles of justice, constitutional democracy, and the rule of law.
The president has advised Chief Justice Maya that, as directed by the Constitution, he has also initiated consultation on this appointment with the leaders of parties in the National Assembly.
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has been acting as DCJ of the apex court for the past seven months, but his non-renewable 12-year term on the Constitutional Court ends in July.
Online group Judges Matter, which advocates for transparency and accountability within the judiciary, earlier said it was time for a permanent deputy. It said that since the appointment of Justice Maya, the president has been silent on who her deputy will be.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Petrol price drop offers slight relief for South African consumers
Experts say that a slight decrease in petrol price will create some breathing room for consumers. Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers Experts say that a slight decrease in petrol price will create some breathing room for consumers. This follows the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe announcing on Wednesday a 5 cents per litre decrease on both grades of petrol and 36.90 cents per litre decrease on both grades of diesel. Waldo Krugell, an economics professor at the North-West University (NWU), said that consumers are lucky that the slightly stronger rand–dollar exchange rate and stable crude oil price have absorbed the impact of the increase in the fuel levy that came into effect today. 'It is not quite relief, but the fact that the price is not going up adds to the little bit of breathing room in household budgets. Last week's repo rate cut will also help. And it is really important as we saw in yesterday's Q1 GDP numbers that household spending is all that is keeping the economy going.' Dr Eliphas Ndou, an economist and author at Unisa's Department of Economics, said that the decreases in fuel prices due to the rand appreciation against the US dollar and lower oil prices are good news for the logistics sector and commuters, as transport costs and fares will remain low. 'It's also good news to producers using these fuels as inputs in their production processes. It's a huge relief to financially constrained consumers, facing an expensive food basket and high administered prices, as food prices may not rise due to low transportation costs.' Ndou added that the latest IMF World Economic Outlook report forecasts oil prices to remain around $65 (R1155) per barrel at least throughout the year. 'Hence, fluctuations at low prices may keep fuel prices lower in the near future, thereby cushioning motorists and producers against the fuel levy increase.' Lerato Nkosi, Senior Lecturer in Economics at Unisa, said that what is crucial about the fuel price is the impact it's going to have on the consumer. 'The fuel levy increase is already a tax burden that the consumers are facing. A decrease in fuel price will decrease transportation costs and as far as logistics go that will be transportation cost of foods. We hope this will lead to a decrease in the price of food and a decrease in consumer price index (CPI).' Lebo Ramolahloane, National Vice Chairperson of the South African Petroleum Retailers Association (SAPRA), said that while the price drop is welcome; the benefits are significantly muted by the simultaneous tax hikes. 'Consumers and businesses were hoping for a more meaningful reprieve, especially after a third consecutive month of fuel price cuts. Unfortunately, the new increases in fuel levies - 16c per litre for petrol and 15c for diesel - are eroding much of that anticipated relief.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Ramolahloane added that the revised General Fuel Levy, now R4.15 per litre for petrol and R4.02 for diesel, alongside the Road Accident Fund Levy, still at R2.18 per litre, continues to contribute heavily to the overall fuel price structure. 'Fuel is a key cost driver in virtually every industry. Any increase in fuel-related taxes pushes up the cost of transport, goods, and services. So while the price adjustments in June technically decrease, the net gain to consumers is marginal.' CEO of Debt Rescue Neil Roets says there is no way to sugarcoat the reaction of South Africans to this news. ''This is a slap in the face of motorists and commuters, who have been battling to make ends meet in the face of ever-escalating living costs for over a year, with authorities seemingly turning a blind eye. It is no secret that this minuscule cut in the price of petrol is a direct result of the General Fuel Levy (GFL), which kicks in from Wednesday, 4th June. Petrol was, in fact, set to decrease by around 20c per litre, but with the 15-cent hike in the GFL, this amounted to a reduction of just five cents per litre.' BUSINESS REPORT Visist:
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
More than R140 million in salaries paid to suspended government employees
National departments paid nearly R51 million to suspended government employees, while provincial departments spent more than R90 million in the 2024/25 financial year. Government has paid more than R140 million in salaries to employees who have been placed on precautionary suspension during the 2024/25 financial year. This is according to public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi, who was accounting to the National Assembly during the Governance Cluster question and answer session on Wednesday. Buthelezi said as of the end of the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, national departments paid R50 945 064 to the suspended employees while provincial departments spent R90 469 562. The minister was responding to Al Jama-ah member of parliament (MP) Shameemah Salie, who had asked what the current estimated total cost of ghost employees and suspended employees on the payroll of government was. Ghost employee audit still incomplete Salie also asked what work had been done prior to the Budget Speech to recover funds lost from paying fraudulent salaries. Buthelezi said the total cost associated with ghost workers had not yet been determined. 'This cost will only become known once a comprehensive employee verification process across public service has been completed and the financial implications accurately calculated,' he said. 'However, the Department of Public Service and Administration and National Treasury are jointly leading this exercise, and once the report is finalised it will be shared with the relevant parliamentary committee and this house.' Salie further said the issue of ghost workers had been an ongoing battle for decades and had resulted in millions being lost per yearly. ALSO READ: Gauteng health freezes 66 salaries in ghost employee crackdown 'We urge the minister and all relevant departments to ensure an audit across government and to provide frequent feedback on findings surrounding ghost workers, prosecution of and recovery of funds from these entities,' Salie sad. Buthelezi defends 'bloated' public service wage bill ANC MP Pumelele Ndamase asked what the overall impact of ghost workers was, in which departments they were mostly found and whether Buthelezi's department is actually aware of how ghost employees end up being in the employ of the state. The public service is often accused of being bloated, Ndamase said, while simultaneously struggling to meet the demand of South Africans. In response, the minister said while it is widely believed that the public service wage bill is too high, the department has a different view. 'We do have many vacant posts in the department and many departments who are struggling to even employ because they have a shortage of staff members, because the government cannot afford to pay their salaries,' Buthelezi said. 'So, the issue of a bloated public service wage bill is not necessarily the case, but we do appreciate the fact that we view that as such because our economy is not growing at the rate that it should.' He said the challenges of the country's stagnant economic growth had a bearing on the expenditure where public employees are concerned. Thorough investigation With regard to the departments affected by ghost employees, Buthelezi repeated that there were currently no statistics, but the department is engaged in a thorough investigation. Before posing his question, Rise Mzansi's Stanford Makashule Gana Minister said the 'ghost employees' should be referred to appropriately – public servants who 'give themselves more than one salary'. ALSO READ: R6 million in salaries paid to ghost workers in Mpumalanga 'Trigger-happy managers' Gana finally asked if the Buthelezi's department is considering attaching cost orders to managers who are trigger happy and quick to suspend public servants who don't deserve to be suspended. 'As a department, when it comes to managers who simply suspend employees willy-nilly, we have come up with a directive that says whenever there is an employee that is alleged to have committed a particular offence, instead of suspending that person and continuously get a salary, that person must be transferred to another department or unit,' Buthelezi responded. He said he was not aware of public servants earning more than one salary and that the department is putting systems in place to curb wastage. Redundancy audit Heloise Denner, FF Plus MP, asked if the department had considered or assessed the feasibility of implementing an audit to identify redundant posts within the public service in order to reduce costs. In response, the minister said the department is already putting systems in place to deal with redundancy. He said that the departments need to first consult the Department of Public Services and Administration whenever there's a post to fill. '[This is so that] we look into whether or not there is a need for that particular post or if it means they redefine their organogram,' Buthelezi said. '[They must] also consult with National Treasury to see that there are funds available so that we prevent departments from employing people for posts which do not add any value into the system,' he added. NOW READ: 'It's a scam': Mbalula says Prasa's ghost workers saga to be referred for criminal investigations
Eyewitness News
11 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Parliament's finance committee approves fiscal framework, revenue proposals underpinning budget
CAPE TOWN - Parliament's standing committee on finance has approved the fiscal framework and revenue proposals that underpin the 2025 budget, setting the scene for the less contentious adoption of its report in the National Assembly than was the case in March. Following two days of deliberations, the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA voted in favour of the report. However, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) dug in their heels saying the fuel levy is an unnecessary inclusion that will impact the poor. Wednesday's joint meeting of the finance committees of both houses was far less tense than when it considered an earlier version of the budget framework, which contained a value-added tax (VAT) increase that split the Government of National Unity (GNU). ALSO READ: Main opposition parties reject Treasury's assertion of pro-poor budget However, opposition parties took issue with the increase in the fuel levy, which was included in this third version of the budget tabled by the finance minister two weeks ago. The MK Party's Brian Molefe said other means could have been found to raise R4 billion in a R2 trillion budget. "The fuel levy is regressive and it is not pro-growth, because the fuel levy dampens consumption, expenditure, and it is inflationary as well." After losing Tuesday's court case on the matter, the EFF's Omphile Maotwe made one last appeal for the committee to retract the increase. "If we can stand up and say we reject the fuel levy, that's something we can give the people of South Africa." But with no support to force the finance minister's hand again, both opposition parties rejected the fiscal framework and the committee's report, which will be put to a house vote next Wednesday.
