Magistrates Matter: Turning the light to shine on the magistracy
The judicial system in South Africa comprises of the following courts of law: the Constitutional Court; the Supreme Court of Appeal; the High Courts, the Magistrates’ Courts; and any other court established by legislation (such as the Labour Court). In her thesis on the transformation of the South African magistracy published in 2007, Vanja Karth […]
Tribute to Judge Anton Steenkamp
In May, Labour Court Judge, Anton Steenkamp, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly as the result of a black mamba bite while he was on holiday in Zambia. We feel the loss of Judge Steenkamp as being a blow to the bench as well as to our community more broadly. We mourn his passing. We share […]
Supreme Court of Appeal gets 5 new judges
In April the Judicial Service Commission interviewed nine candidates for five vacancies at the Supreme Court of Appeal. As was the case in previous rounds for these vacancies, the candidates were grilled on divisions within the SCA and their experience of collegiality while acting at the court. The candidates all alluded to certain divisions within […]
Five ConCourt candidates recommended to the President
Six candidates were interviewed for the Constitutional Court on Wednesday 3 April 2019 for two vacancies at the highest court. Of these candidates, five were recommended to the President for appointment. In line with section 174(4) of the Constitution the President will now appoint two Constitutional Court judges from the list of five names sent […]
Judicial candidates and gender: five indicators to watch
Over the last few years, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has vastly improved its approach to gender parity among judicial candidates. It has begun to ask important questions about the bench as a working environment for women, and to gauge ideas from both male and female candidates on removing barriers in the profession that stop […]
Looking at the numbers on judicial transformation
The first black judge in South Africa was appointed to the bench in 1991. Since the inception of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in 1994, there has been a concerted effort to transform the judiciary by making it more equitable and diverse in terms of gender and race. This is in line with section 174(2) […]
Beyond the Numbers: Diversity on the Constitutional Court Bench
Originally the Constitutional Court was established as the final court on all constitutional matters. However, following the 17th amendment Act of 2012 it is now South Africa’s highest court on all matters. The Constitutional Court consists of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice and nine other judges. Thus, the Court’s bench is supposed to […]
Our most read articles of 2018
Throughout the year we write articles to share more information about the JSC, the judges’ interview process and the South African judicial system as a whole. Here is a list of our most popular articles in 2018. 1. The JSC’s uneven line of questioning on judicial transformation Posted: 8 June 2018 Section 174 (2) of […]
Judges Matter 2018 in Review
Here is our overview of some of the highlights from the JSC Interviews and other judicial developments during the year of 2018. April 2018 JSC interviews At the April round of interviews the JSC interviewed nine candidates for the Supreme Court of Appeal. This included interviewing Judge President Betty Molemela who was duly nominated to […]
Three ways to improve justice in South Africa
This article was originally published in GroundUp on 13 November 2018. See the original article. Our court system is frustrating, slow and technologically backward. South Africans are rightly proud of our independent judiciary. It has, with some notable individual exceptions, avoided the descent into corruption and disintegration of state institutions that took place in the […]