The magistrates’ courts play a vital role in South Africa’s justice system. More than 90% of all cases are dealt with in the magistrates’ courts, from child maintenance and protection orders to rape cases, divorces and small business disputes. The leaders of these courts must be judicial officers of the highest calibre.
The Magistrates Commission calls for public comment on candidates shortlisted for seven leadership positions in the Magistrates Courts, at both regional and district level.
Comments must be sent to the Commission by Monday, 7 September 2026, via email to the Secretariat of the Commission at NvanZyl@justice.gov.za.
The interviews will take place from 14 to 16 September 2026 at a venue in Gauteng.
The leadership positions are:
Regional Court President, Cape Town
The Regional Court President, Cape Town, is the judicial head of the regional courts in the Western Cape, overseeing dozens of magistrates stationed at courts spread across the urban and rural parts of the province. The regional courts handle the vast majority of the most serious, complex and violent crime in the province – gang crimes, corruption, fraud and sexual offences like rape. The RCP leads the regional courts and has to ensure that they deliver justice to all people in the province.
Regional Court President, Mbombela
The Regional Court President, Mbombela, is the judicial head of the regional courts in Mpumalanga, overseeing magistrates stationed at more than two dozen courts. The regional courts’ jurisdiction covers the entirety of Mpumalanga’s vast land area, including the borders with Mozambique and Eswatini, and the bulk of the Kruger National Park. This means that, in addition to the vast majority of serious and violent crimes like corruption, fraud, murder and rape, they also deal with wildlife and environmental crimes, often with cross-border implications. The RCP leads the regional courts and has to ensure that they deliver justice to all people in the province.
Chief Magistrate, Gqeberha
The Chief Magistrate, Gqeberha, is the judicial head for all the district courts in half of the Eastern Cape province (Administrative Region 1). This region covers the southern portion of the province from Hamburg and Port Alfred to Robert Sobukwe (Graaff-Reinet) inland. It then travels all the way westwards, including all of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and surrounding towns along the Garden Route, to the border with the Western Cape. All district magistrates under this administrative region report to the Chief Magistrate, who must lead the courts. Two other chief magistrates, based in KuGompo (East London) and Mthatha, oversee the rest of the province north of the Kieskamma River.
Chief Magistrate, Palm Ridge
The Palm Ridge Magistrates Court is a major court complex situated in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, and home to OR Tambo International Airport. The Palm Ridge Court is the main seat of the Ekurhuleni Magisterial District, one of the five magisterial districts of Gauteng province. The Chief Magistrate in Ekurhuleni is the judicial head of the district and oversees the 10 subdistricts falling under it, including Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan, Daveyton, Germiston, Kempton Park, Nigel, Springs, Tembisa and Tsakane.
Chief Magistrate, Durban
The Chief Magistrate, Durban, is the judicial head of the KwaZulu-Natal Administrative Region A, which covers the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and all the districts in the southern end of the province. The Chief Magistrate heads up all the district courts in the eThekwini, Ugu, iLembe and parts of uThukela magisterial districts. As the judicial head, the Chief Magistrate, Durban, runs one of the largest magisterial districts in the country.
Chief Magistrate, Mbombela
The Chief Magistrate, Mbombela, is the judicial head of the district courts in Mpumalanga province, which is considered one administrative region. The Chief Magistrate oversees district magistrates stationed at more than two dozen district courts strewn across the province. The district courts are the first port of call for most court cases, both civil and criminal. The Chief Magistrate leads the district courts and has to ensure that they deliver justice to all people in the province.
Chief Magistrate, Wynberg
The Chief Magistrate, Wynberg, is the head of the Western Cape’s Administrative Region B, which starts in Wynberg and the Cape Flats in the Cape Metro and extends along the Southern Cape to the Garden Route. All the district courts in that area fall under the leadership of the Chief Magistrate. The other Chief Magistrate in the province is the Chief Magistrate, Cape Town, who is in charge of parts of Cape Town and areas up the West Coast.
The full list of shortlisted candidates is available here.
Members of the public are invited to submit comments on the candidates by Monday, 7 September 2026. Comments submitted after that deadline will not be considered.