Raymond Zondo is South Africa's new chief justice

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo as the new chief justice on Thursday.

He will also nominate Supreme Court of Appeal president Mandisa Maya as the deputy chief justice, a statement from the presidency on Thursday said.

The appointments followed a lengthy public nomination process and a widely criticised set of interviews by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), after which the commission recommended Maya for the job. It was then a month before the president made his choice.

In a statement, Ramaphosa said the nomination of Maya will be subjected to the consultation processes required by the Constitution.

"I have every confidence that Justice Zondo will acquit himself with distinction in this position,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.

This is a developing story.

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