Ramaphosa nominates Eastern Cape-born Maya as next chief justice

President Cyril Ramaphosa has nominated Eastern Cape-born deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya as the next chief justice.

The chief justice position will become vacant on August 31 when the term of office of justice Raymond Zondo comes to an end.

Maya has held the positions of deputy president and president of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the president had in terms of Section 174(3) of the constitution embarked on a process of consultation with the leaders of political parties represented in parliament and the Judicial Service Commission to convey his nomination.

Ramaphosa has asked political parties represented in the National Assembly to make submissions on the suitability or otherwise of Maya to hold the office of chief justice.

“The president has drawn the attention of leaders of political parties to judge Maya’s illustrious judicial career, in which she was first appointed as a judge of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in 2000,” Magwenya said.

She attained a B.Proc (University of Transkei); LLB (University of Natal); and LLM (Duke University, North Carolina, US) degrees as well as three LLD degrees (Honoraris) from the universities of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela, respectively.

After she became deputy chief justice in 2022, the Dispatch reported that members of the law fraternity who were at university with Maya at Unitra and those attorneys and advocates who worked with her, were proud of the milestones she had achieved.

Mthatha advocate Mathobela Sishushuba was at Unitra (now Walter Sisulu University) with her, both as a student and a lecturer, and later they shared chambers as advocates at the Mthatha bar.

“She was the second black female to be a member of our bar after advocate Nona Goso, and it was clear she would go places,” Sishushuba said.

“Justice Maya ran a very busy practice and was quickly noticed by the judiciary, being called to act as a judge at a very young age.

“She is hard working and always willing to use the skills she was endowed with.

“She became a trailblazer, with an ability to assist and nurture others.

“Being the head of the SCA was a milestone on its own and she commands the highest respect there.

“She has already put the Eastern Cape and our bar on the map.

“Her achievements show what is possible even for people from the dusty towns of the Eastern Cape

Ramaphosa has also nominated justice Dumisani Zondi as deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Zondi serves as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The term of office of the current deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal, justice Xola Petse, will come to an end on July 10 when he turns 70 and will be automatically discharged from office.

DispatchLIVE