Ramaphosa initiates crucial consultations for deputy chief justice appointment
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.
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