Doctor Leavit Mkansi holds a BProc form the University of the North, an LLM in Human Rights and Constitutional Practise from the University of Pretoria, another LLM in International Business Law from the University of Hull and a Doctors in Law from the University of South Africa.
Mkhansi has worked as a regional magistrate in Bloemfontein since 2002. Prior to that he worked as a senior state advocate in the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) and a state prosecutor.
October 2017 Interview:
October 2017 – Interview synopsis
Doctor Leavit Mkansi, despite a plethora of post-graduate degrees and time spent as a magistrate has never acted in the high court.
Mkansi was quick to point out there was nothing in the Constitution or the Judicial Service Commission guidelines made acting experience an essential prerequisite for appointment to the Bench and argued vociferously that he was both necessarily experienced and “fit and proper”.
The candidate was adamant that his work as a magistrate would stand him in good stead for judicial appointment.
He told the commission that he had written to five judges president asking about the possibility of an acting stint in their divisions and had only received a response from two — one of them being Free State Judge President Mahube Molemela, a commissioner for that round of interviews.
According to Mkansi, he was on the list of magistrates awaiting an acting stint in Bloemfontein. Mkansi’s interview again highlighted severe shortcomings in the JSC’s shortlisting process and an inability to take practical steps to widen the pool of potential judges (see Lotter interview).
