The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has shortlisted four female Judges for a position on the bench of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The shortlisted candidates are:
- Justice Zukisa Laura Lumka Tshiqi (Supreme Court of Appeal)
- Justice Nonkosi Zoliswa Mhlantla (Supreme Court of Appeal)
- Judge Dhayanithie Pillay (KZN High Court) and
- Justice Leona Valerie Theron (Supreme Court of Appeal)
The coveted, prominent vacancy in the Constitutional Court was left open when Justice Thembile Skweyiya retired in May last year.
For the City Press publication, Journalist, Tabeth Masengu sums it up well in her 5th July article on the interviewees for City Press’s Voices: “The women being interviewed defeat these critics as they prove that black South Africans and women are as competent and capable as the white male counterparts.“
Tabeth certainly makes the case for transformation and gender equality in the above quote, these interviews also goes with our gender theme this month and should remain a central theme in our young democracy in attaining and achieving our transformation goals.
Section 174 of the Constitution provides for the “Appointment of Judicial Officers” #KnowYourConstitution, s 174 (2) sets the tone for transformation by providing the following: “the need for the judiciary to reflect broadly the racial and gender composition of South Africa must be considered when judicial officers are appointed.”
All the shortlisted candidates are highly accomplished women in their own right, there are no doubts that the JSC will have a hard time selecting their candidate from this rich, capable pool.
We wish the candidates the best in their interviews, the appointment of a female on the ConCourt’s bench will be a victory for all the women in South Africa and that is well worth celebrating.
First Constitutional Court Judges – Source: Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution
