The Eastern Cape judiciary will have to wait longer for the appointment of a deputy judge president, as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has postponed the announcement of its decision. The JSC interviewed four candidates for the position on Tuesday, amid efforts to stabilize the province's judiciary, which has been marred by controversy and allegations of corruption. The commission said it would announce the results of its deliberations when "the results are ready".
The latest interviews are the second round of interviews by the JSC, following unsuccessful interviews in 2025 that were overshadowed by allegations of bribery and missing court files. This year's interviews were also marked by concerns about the leadership's ability to implement reform measures, particularly in the wake of allegations of bribery from law firms to secure court dates in Mthatha. The JSC is seeking to address these issues and restore credibility to the Eastern Cape high court.
Eastern Cape high court senior judge Fathima Dawood, with 18 years of experience on the bench, was among the candidates interviewed. She dismissed suggestions of "court capture" and attributed the main problem facing the division to a lack of judges and resources. Dawood proposed that the judiciary seek assistance from senior lawyers to be appointed as acting judges, even on a pro bono basis, to help address capacity constraints.
Another candidate, Eastern Cape judge Buyiswa Majiki, with 13 years of experience, sought to allay concerns about bribery syndicates in the Mthatha high court. She described problems of court dates allocated to preferred law firms as "a thing of the past" and pointed to changes made to improve the court's operations, including the swapping of staff at the registrar's office.
Judge Vuyokazi Noncembu, the most junior of the candidates, having been appointed as a high court judge in 2022, relied on her judgment skills and previous experience as the North West Regional Court president. She noted that her judgments had not been set aside on appeal, indicating her writing skills, and pointed to her leadership experience in a previous role.
The JSC also interviewed Eastern Cape judge Bulelwa Pakati, who worked as a magistrate for 21 years and focused on her vision to support the modernization of courts. She emphasized the need to eradicate case backlogs through the implementation of technology-driven scheduling systems and strict adherence to judicial timelines.
In a related development, the JSC has agreed on the appointment of two high court judges to the Competition Appeal Court, including KwaZulu-Natal high court judge Mfuniselwa Nkosi and Western Cape high court judge Dumisani Lekhuleni, who has six law degrees. The appointments come amid criticism of competition law processes in South Africa, which have been criticized for taking years to conclude matters regarding mergers and acquisitions.
Key points
- The Judicial Service Commission has delayed the appointment of a deputy judge president for the Eastern Cape, citing the need for further deliberation.
- The Eastern Cape judiciary has been marred by controversy and allegations of corruption, including bribery and missing court files.
- The JSC has agreed on the appointment of two high court judges to the Competition Appeal Court, amid criticism of competition law processes in South Africa.
