Find concensus on chief justice - CBC
2011-08-19 20:01
Cape Town - The Cape Bar Council (CBC) has urged the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to seek consensus on candidates for the position of chief justice.
The office of chief justice was an extremely important part of South Africa's judicial system and hierarchy, council chairperson Alasdair Sholto-Douglas said in a statement on Friday.
"The CBC accordingly calls upon the JSC... to canvass and consider the views of all interested parties so as to ensure that its recommendations to the president reflect the broadest possible consensus on all candidates for the position of chief justice who will best enhance the standing and deliberations of the Constitutional Court and carry out the functions of chief justice with independence, integrity, and wisdom," he said.
The JSC will meet in Cape Town on Saturday to discuss procedure in the consultation process over President Jacob Zuma's nomination of Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng as the next chief justice.
Business Day reported on Friday that depending on the outcome of its debate, the meeting could see the JSC calling for public nominations for other candidates for chief justice or the JSC itself recommending a candidate to the president.
On the other hand, the commission could decide that its role is limited to publicly interviewing the president’s choice, the newspaper reported.
JSC spokesman Dumisa Ntsebeza was not immediately available for comment.
Zuma nominated Mogoeng on Tuesday to replace former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, whose term of office expired on Sunday.
In terms of the Constitution, Zuma has to appoint the chief justice after consultation with the JSC and leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly.
- SAPA
