New Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Says He is Excited to Work Alongside Judge Mandisa Maya As His Deputy
- Newly appointed Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says Judge Mandisa Maya congratulated him on his appointment to lead the Apex court
- Zondo says when Maya was announced as the preferred candidate by the Judicial Services Commission he also congratulated her
- Zondo says he is taken note of the Economic Freedom Fighters' criticism of his appointment but has mostly received well wishes
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JOHANNESBURG - Raymond Zondo, the incoming Chief Justice, says Supreme Court of Appeal President Mandisa Maya was one of the first to applaud him on his appointment.
Zondo says he was also one of the first people to congratulate Maya when the Judicial Services Commission recommended her as the top contender to take on the office of the Chief Justice following the interviews of all four candidates.
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Zondo added that the other candidates, Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo and Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga also congratulated him following the announcement of his appointment as the head of the apex court, reports News24.
Zondo excited about potentially working alongside Maya
President Cyril Ramaphosa also announced that he recommends Maya for the role of Deputy Chief Justice in place of the vacancy that will be left by Zondo now that he will be the CJ, according to the Daily Maverick.
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and Zondo says he is looking forward to working with her, stating that she is an excellent judge.
Unlike the previous CJs that have been on the bench for many years, Zondo will only fulfil this role for only two and half years before he is forced to retire. If Maya accepts that post as the Deputy CJ, she could see herself as the lead candidate to take over from Zondo when the time comes.
Zondo responds to the EFF's criticism
Zondo says he is aware that the Economic Freedom Fighters is against his appointment as CJ. He stated that there will always be people that critique him, however, he has noticed more messages of praise than criticism.
"There will always be others who will criticise and I'm aware that the EFF has criticised…but most of the reactions that I have seen or heard have been very positive," said Zondo.
Zondo added that he is not bothered by the prospect of working alongside EFF leader Julius Malema when he chairs the JSC as the newly appointed CJ. Zondo believes that he will work well with Malema and anyone else who is a member of the JSC.
South Africans weigh in on Zondo's appointment and Maya's recommendation
@Dumisani_Ngxong said:
"Thank you Justice Maya for putting the country first ... Let others continue to argue their political battles which they tried to draw you into ... "
@HennieTheart said:
"Congratulations on your appointment Chief Justice!!! May God Almighty give you knowledge and wisdom to execute this difficult task."
@Cheetahplains
"Maya is mature "
@CeciliaMunyai said:
"Problem is that Julius Malema thinks he’s the president of South Africa and that everything he says goes. He forgets that majority of SAns are not part of that cult called EFF. Nywe Nywe it’s a girl no it’s a boy! #Malema #ChiefJustice #zondo"
@Constitution_94 said:
"We applaud you, Mr President. You could not satisfy everyone. Let them appoint their own Chief Justice in 2025. You have done your part. Raymond Zondo deserved it #ChiefJustice."
@FosterShvt said:
"All those who thought the President will succumb to that biased JSC nomination were just naive. The appointment of #ChiefJustice is his prerogative. The right appointment has been made. We must move on with our lives and ignore all the noises. #Zondo is the right man."
EFF says Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is not the right person to lead the Constitutional Court
Briefly News previously reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday, 10 March that Raymond Zondo will serve South Africa as the next Chief Justice of the Constitution Court. Ramaphosa also nominated Supreme Court of Appeal President Judge Mandisa Maya to be his deputy.
The appointment has been welcomed by various political organisations such as the Democratic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Freedom Front Plus, who are happy that a judge with integrity has been onboarded for such an important role.
According to EWN, Zondo, who's been acting Chief Justice for the past couple of months, will officially take office on 1 April. Zondo was the deputy Chief Justice since 2017 and worked alongside the former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.
Source: Briefly News
