By Rachel Mohamed
The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) has started the process of appointing a new Deputy Chief Justice by conducting interviews on Wednesday. This position became vacant after Mandisa Maya was appointed as Chief Justice in September of last year. The first candidate to be interviewed by the JSC was Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo.
Speaking on VOC’s airwaves, Mbekezeli Benjamin, a researcher at Judges Matter, remarked that this process appears to be different from previous ones. It seems more composed, focusing on asking Mlambo questions related to legal issues and his experience as a judge, ultimately assessing his suitability for the role of Deputy Chief Justice.
Benjamin explained, “The JSC’s aim this time when interviewing candidates for Deputy Chief Justice is to provide advice to the president regarding the suitability of the candidates. The JSC does not make the final decision; that authority rests with the president.”
He added, “This was a significant issue during the last interviews for the Chief Justice position when the JSC expressed a preference for one candidate over others, which was inappropriate. It appears that the JSC is now correcting that approach and is concentrating on Judge President Dunstan Mlambo’s qualifications.”
Listen to the full interview:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
