President Cyril Ramaphosa’s nomination of Justice Mandisa Maya as the next Chief Justice of the Republic has been broadly welcomed. The nomination is occasioned by the fact that the term of office of Justice Raymond Zondo ends in August.
Justices of the Constitutional Court can only serve up to 12 years.
The endorsement of Maya’s suitability from various political parties to hold the office of Chief Justice was swift and telling. Many have gone as far as to suggest that there will be no need to subject Justice Maya to the gruelling Judicial Service Commission (JSC) process. For many, the previous process that led to the appointment of Justice Zondo is still fresh.
The exercise was about choosing the best candidate. The exercise, a contest among the supposedly best judicial brains, was a testament to transparency.