Quote of the week
Universal adult suffrage on a common voters roll is one of the foundational values of our entire constitutional order. The achievement of the franchise has historically been important both for the acquisition of the rights of full and effective citizenship by all South Africans regardless of race, and for the accomplishment of an all-embracing nationhood. The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts. In a country of great disparities of wealth and power it declares that whoever we are, whether rich or poor, exalted or disgraced, we all belong to the same democratic South African nation; that our destinies are intertwined in a single interactive polity.
August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others (CCT8/99) [1999] ZACC 3
JSC appoints 7 new female judges
JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE
16 October 2013
The Judicial Service Commission has concluded interviews of Judges to fill vacancies in the Bench
During the period 07-10 October 2013, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) conducted interviews in Cape Town for the vacant Judges’ positions in the various divisions of the High Court. Following the conclusion of the interviews, the Chief Justice met with the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr J G Zuma on 15 October 2013 and presented the JSC’s recommendations as follows:
- 1. Eastern Cape Division (One vacancy)
The JSC advertised one vacancy in the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court and three candidates were shortlisted and interviewed for one vacancy. The JSC has recommended that the President should appoint Adv I T Stretch SC (Ms) as a Judge of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court:
- 2. Electoral Court
There was one vacancy advertised by the JSC and one candidate was shortlisted and interviewed. The JSC has recommended that the President should appoint Ms S Pather as a Judge of the Electoral Court:
- 3. Free State Division (One vacancy)
The JSC advertised one vacancy in the Free State Division of the High Court and five candidates were shortlisted and interviewed for one vacancy. The JSC has recommended that the President should appoint Ms S Naidoo to the Free State Division of the High Court.
- 4. Labour and Labour Appeal Court
The JSC advertised a single vacancy of Deputy Judge President and one candidate was shortlisted and interviewed. The JSC decided to recommend that the President should appoint Judge P L Tlaletsi as Deputy Judge President of the Labour and Labour Appeal Courts.
- 5. Labour Courts
The JSC advertised a single vacancy in the Labour Courts and two candidates were shortlisted. The JSC interviewed one candidate and decided not to recommend any candidate to the President.
- 6. Gauteng Division
The JSC advertised four vacancies in the Gauteng Division of the High Court. Six candidates were shortlisted and interviewed for these positions. The JSC has recommended that the President should appoint the following candidates as Judges of the Gauteng Division of the High Court.
Adv A J Bam SC
Adv M M Jansen SC (Ms)
Adv N J Van Niewenhuizen SC (Ms)
Ms S S Mphahlele
- 7. Western Cape Division
The JSC advertised one vacancy in the Western Cape Division of the High Court. Four candidates were shortlisted and interviewed for these vacant positions. The JSC has recommended that the President should appoint Ms N P Boqwana as a Judge of the Western Cape Division of the High Court.
Of all the nine recommended candidates, seven of them are women. This serves as a clear indication of the JSC’s commitment to the provisions of 174(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The JSC still wishes to encourage the legal fraternity and the broader South African public to encourage and nominate more women who are fit and proper for judicial appointment. It is only in as a result of such nominations that the JSC will be table to discharge its constitutional mandate of transforming the Judiciary to reflect the demographics of our population as enunciated in section 174(2) of the Constitution.
Issued by the JSC
Adv Ntsebeza SC
Contact details: 082 467 2490
Email:Ntsebeza@mweb.co.za
