President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday appointed Justice Mandisa Maya as the new deputy chief justice of South Africa. Maya who currently serves as the president of the Supreme Court of Appeal, will take up her new role from September.
Her appointment comes after Ramaphosa appointed former deputy chief justice Ramond Zondo as the new Chief Justice in April. Maya’s name was taken forward to the president as the preferred candidate at the time but Ramaphosa chose Zondo to be the chief justice.
In a statement, the Presidency said Maya brought more than two decades of distinguished experience as the judicial officer.
“Justice Maya will contribute to the ongoing transformation process of the judiciary. Her acsendency to the apex court will serve as a beacon of hope for scores of young women and make them believe that South Africa is a country of possibilities regardless of gender, social or economic circumstances,” Ramaphosa said.
During her interview in June, Maya told the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) that South Africa has never had a woman in its highest echelons. She said she was the first and the “furthest as the president of the SCA, that women have come close to smelling what it is to actually be in charge of your institution and be given an equal opportunity as your male counterparts to show your prowess, your skills”.
Source: News24, Eyewitness News, SABC News, image from Twitter