Ramaphosa names Maya as the next chief justice

In succeeding Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the former appellate court president will become the first woman to head the judiciary

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday confirmed that he would appoint Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya as the country’s next chief justice.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in terms of section 174(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, appointed current Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya as Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa with effect from 1 September 2024,” his office said.

In succeeding Chief Justice Raymond Zondo when he retires at the end of August, Maya will become the first woman to head the South African judiciary.

Ramaphosa in his statement referred to the historical significance of her appointment in this regard.

He said after interviewing Maya in May, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had assured him that she was suitable for the position given her judicial record, leadership qualities, experience as a judge in various courts, her past leadership of the supreme court of appeal and her role as deputy chief justice.

“The commissioners also advised that Justice Maya’s appointment would be a significant milestone for the country as Justice Maya would be the first woman in South Africa to be appointed chief justice,” he said.

He added that Maya “can draw inspiration and support from the confidence expressed in her”.

She was the candidate nominated by Ramaphosa for the post, in contrast to Zondo who was one of four candidates shortlisted by a panel invited by the president to assist in the process.

It broke with past tradition, and yielded some controversy when the JSC pinpointed Maya for appointment rather than commenting on the relative merits of each of the candidates.

Ramaphosa ventured that it had exceeded its mandate. He appointed Zondo instead of following the commission’s recommendation but immediately nominated Maya to be his deputy.

Maya was president of the supreme court of appeal from 2017 until her appointment as deputy chief justice in July 2022. She was also the first woman to hold that position.

In her interview with the JSC, Maya said she was in favour of increasing the number of judges in the constitutional court by four to 15 and amending the Constitution to allow panels to sift applications to the court to ease its workflow.