President Cyril Ramaphosa certainly took his time in moving to replace outgoing chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. He has finally invited the public to nominate "suitably qualified candidates" for the post, but the lateness of the hour could mean a leadership vacuum at the head of the judiciary for the remainder of the year.

Mogoeng — who has already been on long leave since May — is due to officially leave office on October 11. But it was only on September 16 that Ramaphosa announced a "consultative approach" to appoint his successor, kicking off with public nominations that will run until October 1...