Chief Justice of South Africa
Chief Justice of South Africa | |
---|---|
List
| |
Raymond Zondo since 1 April 2022 | |
Style | The Honourable |
Nominator | Judicial Service Commission |
Appointer | President of South Africa |
Term length | 12 years |
Inaugural holder | Lord de Villiers |
Formation | 1910 |
Deputy | Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa |
Website | Office of the Chief Justice |
The Chief Justice of South Africa[1] is the most senior judge of the Constitutional Court and head of the judiciary of South Africa, who exercises final authority over the functioning and management of all the courts.
The position of
Until 1961, the Chief Justice held a
History and creation of the post
The position of Chief Justice as it stands today was created in 2001 by the
Chief Justice in a new era
At the time of South Africa's democratisation in the early 1990s, the position of Chief Justice was held by
However, with the fall of Apartheid imminent, the progressively-minded Corbett was eventually handed the job of Chief Justice in 1989. Although appointed by the National Party government, Corbett was generally well liked by those in South Africa's new African National Congress (ANC)-led government, and upon his retirement in 1996 was given a formal state banquet where President Mandela paid tribute to the Chief Justice's "passion for justice", "sensitivity to racial discrimination", "intellectual rigour" and "clarity of thought".[3]
The first Chief Justice to be appointed in
Under South Africa's
Chief justices of Cape Colony
Source:[4]
- 1812– Sir Johannes Andries Truter (Vice-Admiralty Court)
- 1827–1855 Sir John Wylde
*1828 Supreme Court established
- 1855–1858 Sir Sidney Smith Bell (acting)
- 1858–1868 Sir William Hodges
- 1868–1874 Sir Sidney Smith Bell
- 1874–1910 John de Villiers, 1st Baron de Villiers
Chief justices of Natal (1856–1910)
- 1858–1874 Walter Harding
- 1874–1890 Sir Henry Connor[5]
- 1890–1901 Michael Henry Gallwey
- 1901–1910 Sir Henry Bale (died 1910)
Chief justices of Orange Free State (1875–1919)
- 1874–1888 Francis William Reitz
- 1889–1900 Melius de Villiers
- 1902–1919 Sir Andries Maasdorp (Orange River Colony)
Chief justices of Transvaal (1877-1910)
- 1881– John Gilbert Kotzé
- 1898– Reinhold Gregorowsky[6]
- 1902–1910 James Rose Innes[7] (Transvaal Colony)
Chief justices of South Africa
- 1910–1914 The 1st Baron de Villiers
- 1914–1927 Sir James Rose Innes
- 1927–1929 Sir William Henry Solomon
- 1929–1932 Jacob de Villiers
- 1932–1936 Sir John Wessels
- 1936–1938 John Stephen Curlewis
- 1938–1939 James Stratford
- 1939–1943 Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet
- 1943–1950 Ernest Frederick Watermeyer
- 1950–1957 Albert van der Sandt Centlivres
- 1957–1959 Henry Allan Fagan
- 1959–1971 Lucas Cornelius Steyn
- 1971–1974 Newton Ogilvie Thompson
- 1974–1982 Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff
- 1982–1989 Pieter Jacobus Rabie
- 1989–1996 Michael Corbett
- 1998–2000 Ismail Mahomed
- 2001–2005 Arthur Chaskalson
- 2005–2009 Pius Langa
- 2009–2011 Sandile Ngcobo[8]
- 2011–2021 Mogoeng Mogoeng
- 2022– Raymond Zondo
Zondo is due for mandatory retirement at the end of August 2024 and President Ramaphosa has nominated Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, who would become the first woman to hold the role, as Zondo's replacement.[9][10]
See also
References
- ^ "Statement by President Zuma on the extension of Judge Ngcobo's Service". The Presidency. Government of South Africa. 3 June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Detectives and the Rule of Law - Solving Crime, the State of the SAPS Detective Service - Monograph No 31, 1998". Archived from the original on 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2005-06-26.
- ^ "Pres Mandela at Banquet of Chief Justice Corbett". Archived from the original on 2004-12-15. Retrieved 2005-06-26.
- ^ Zimmermann, Reinhart. Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa.
- ^ Zimmermann, Reinhart. Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa. p. 110.
- ^ Zimmermann, Reinhart. Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa. p. 116.
- ^ Zimmermann, Reinhart. Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa. p. 116.
- ^ "Zuma bids farewell to Ngcobo". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Benjamin, Mbekezeli (2024-01-07). "Judiciary 2024: A leadership transition, impeachments and election matters". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "President Ramaphosa nominates Judges for leadership of the Superior Courts". www.thepresidency.gov.za. Retrieved 2024-04-06.