Ramaphosa nominates Mandisa Maya as next chief justice

President Cyril Ramaphosa has nominated deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya as the next chief justice.

The chief justice position will become vacant on August 31 when the term of office of justice Raymond Zondo comes to an end.

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

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the president had in terms of section 174(3) of the constitution embarked on a process of consultation with the leaders of political parties represented in parliament and the Judicial Service Commission to convey his nomination.

Ramaphosa has asked political parties represented in the National Assembly to make submissions on the suitability or otherwise of Maya to hold the office of chief justice.

“The president has drawn the attention of leaders of political parties to judge 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,” Magwenya said.

She attained a BProc (University of Transkei); LLB (University of Natal); and LLM (Duke University, North Carolina, US) degrees as well as three LLD degrees (Honoraris) from the universities of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela, respectively.

Ramaphosa has also nominated justice Dumisani Zondi as deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Zondi serves as a justice of the SCA.

The term of office of the deputy president of the SCA, justice Xola Petse, will come to an end on July 10 when he turns 70 and he will be automatically discharged from office.