Judge Mandisa Maya
Photo sourced via Twitter @WhyJudgesMatter
Judge Maya to be interviewed for Deputy Chief Justice – Facts about her
Supreme Court of Appeal Judge President Mandisa Maya could soon become the country’s next Deputy Chief Justice
Judge Mandisa Maya
Photo sourced via Twitter @WhyJudgesMatter
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is set to interview Supreme Court of Appeal Judge, President Mandisa Maya on Monday, 20 June 2022, as she vies to become the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.
The position became vacant earlier this year when President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed then deputy chief justice, Raymond Zondo, as Chief Justice after Mogoeng Mogoeng retired in October. Judge Maya, who herself was interviewed for the post, was subsequently nominated to fill in the Deputy Chief Justice position.
The JSC confirmed last month that Judge Maya had accepted her nomination to the highest court in the land.
“Justice Maya has accepted this nomination. Furthermore, on 3 May 2022, she submitted the required JSC questionnaire and all the necessary and standard documentation required for persons who seek to be appointed as a judge,” the JSC said.
SIX FACTS ABOUT JUDGE MANDISA MAYA
- Judge Mandisa Maya was born in 1964 in Tsolo in the rural Eastern Cape
- She holds a B.Proc from the then-University of Transkei (Unitra, now Walter Sisulu University), an LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and an LLM in labour law from Duke University in the United States
- Judge Maya used to work as a court interpreter and prosecutor before joining the Women’s Legal Defense Fund in Washington DC
- She has acted as a judge of the Constitutional Court in 2012
- She was appointed to the High Court in Mthatha in 2000 until 2005, after which she joined the SCA, becoming the first black woman on that court
- According to Judges Matter, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Judge Maya reacted proactively, moving to virtual hearings and effectively clearing the SCA’s workload for that term
During her interview for Chief Justice, Judge Maya bemoaned the fact that there is still a lack of gender representation on the bench and called for more women to be appointed to the courts. She also left a good impression which saw a number of prominent figures vouch for her to get the position.
