PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has released the names of the eight-strong shortlist for the position of chief justice.
Of the 25 names, only 8 nominations met the criteria as set out in the call made to the public by the President last month.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa wishes to thank members of the public for responding to his invitation to participate in the process of nominating the next Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa,” the Presidency said in a statement.
“The process began on 16 September 2021 when President Cyril Ramaphosa called on South Africans to nominate suitably qualified candidates for this critical position as Head of the Judiciary of South Africa. This invitation was intended to promote transparency and enable public participation. The submission process closed at midnight on 01 October 2021. In response to the call for public participation, the public made 148 submissions which consisted of 25 names. Some of these individuals featured in more than one submission.”
The candidates are:
- Western Cape judge president John Hlophe;
- Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane;
- Supreme Court of Appeal president justice Mandisa Maya;
- Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo;
- Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga;
- Former Cape Town city manager Dr Wallace Mgoqi;
- Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo; and
- Advocate Alan Nelson.
In September, Ramaphosa invited South Africans to nominate “suitably qualified” candidates for the position, saying the move was intended to promote transparency and enable public participation in the recruiting for the chief justice position. The nomination process closed at midnight on Friday.
The presidency said in response to the call for public participation that 148 submissions, which consisted of 25 names, were made, with some individuals featuring in more than one submission.
The criteria referred to stipulated the requirements:
- A nomination letter, including the contact details of the nominator;
- The nominee’s acceptance of the nomination and their contact details;
- Letters of support for the nomination, including contact details of people or entities that support the nomination, including at least one letter of support from a professional body of legal practitioners, nongovernmental organisation working in the field of human rights or other legal field; and
- Any additional documentation that the person nominating the candidate for chief justice deems relevant.
The nominations panel, chaired by judge Navanethem (Navi) Pillay, assessed and scrutinised all submissions, said the statement.
The presidency has now invited South Africans to submit in writing any objections they may have regarding the nominees to angeline@presidency.gov.za and OSewpaul@justice.gov.za by 5pm on October 15.
It said the panel would consider objections before submitting a shortlist of three to five names to Ramaphosa.
The panel is required to report to Ramaphosa by October 29.
- Inside Politics
