Serjeant at the Bar | Ramaphosa navigates tricky political waters and chooses Zondo as Chief Justice

By choosing Raymond Zondo as our next Chief Justice, President Cyril Ramaphosa has asserted his commitment to a fiercely independent judge and, by implication, has rebuked the manner in which the JSC sought to twist and pervert what should have been a fair and helpful process leading to the appointment of a new Chief Justice, writes Serjeant at the Bar.

The appointment of Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to be the next Chief Justice of South Africa, which was announced this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa, will doubtless be welcomed by all who have the health of our constitutional democracy at heart.

The appointment of Justice Zondo should not be read to suggest that the other three candidates for the highest judicial office were not distinguished and deserving of anxious consideration.