By Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has concluded its interviews for judges to be appointed to the Bench and has made its recommendations to President Jacob Zuma.

Nine candidates were recommended in total. Of these, seven are women and three are attorneys. The following attorneys have been recommended:

Pretoria attorney Sheila Mphahlele (45) has been recommended for a position in the Gauteng Division of the High Court. She was admitted as an attorney in June 1998 and served as deputy president of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces from 2008 to 2009.

In her application to the JSC she said that one of her most significant cases was a matter in which she acted on a pro bono basis for the Mamelodi Society for the Care of the Aged. It was an eviction matter where they managed to evict unlawful occupiers from the society’s property.

Ms Mphahlele has acted as a judge in the North and South Gauteng High Court periodically in 2011 and 2013.

There were four advertised vacancies for the Gauteng Division and six candidates were interviewed. Three advocates were also recommended for the vacancies.

Johannesburg attorney Nolwazi Boqwana (40) has been recommended to fill a position at the Western Cape High Court. Ms Boqwana was admitted in September 1998. She has acted as a judge in the Labour Court on a number of occasions since October 2011 and also at the Western Cape High Court since January 2013.

The JSC advertised one vacancy for this division. Four candidates were shortlisted and interviewed.

Durban attorney Sungaree Pather (60) was admitted as an attorney in June 1979 and as a conveyancer in August 1983. She has sat as acting judge in the Eastern Cape High Court, the Land Claims Court in Randburg and the Labour Court. She is also a founding member of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers. She has been recommended to fill a position at the Electoral Court.

There was one vacancy advertised and Ms Pather was the only candidate shortlisted.

Judge Lazarus Tlaletsi (53) has been appointed as Deputy President of the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court. Mr Tlaletsi was President of the Law Society of Bophuthatswana from 2002 to 2003.

Other recommendations were –

• advocate Igna Stretch for the Eastern Cape High Court;
• magistrate Somaganthie Naidoo for the Free State High Court; and
• advocates Albertus Bam SC, Maria Jansen SC and Nicoline Niewenhuizen for the Gauteng Division.

Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele, nomfundo@derebus.org.za

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2013 (Dec) DR 10.