By Nomfundo Manyathi

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has called for nominations to fill 14 judicial vacancies.

In its call for nominations, the JSC said there were vacancies for one judge in the Constitutional Court, two in the Supreme Court of Appeal, one in the Eastern Cape High Court, one in the Electoral Court, one at the Northern Cape High Court and six in the North and South Gauteng High Court. In addition to these vacancies, there is also one vacancy for Deputy Judge President at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court and one for Judge President in the North and South Gauteng High Court. According to the JSC’s secretariat, Sello Chiloane, current Judge President Bernard Ngoepe is retiring at the end of October 2012.

The JSC added that candidates who apply for the vacancy at the Electoral Court must be judges in active service. It also said that the successful candidate for the Judge President post at the North and South Gauteng High Court would be appointed by the President with effect from 1 November 2012.

Three of the six successful candidates at the North and South Gauteng High Court will be seconded from the court to the Land Claims Court. Therefore, in addition to the normal qualifications for appointment to the High Court, special attention will be paid to candidates with knowledge and experience in land law within the jurisdiction of the Land Claims Court in respect of these three vacancies.

Nominations must reach the secretariat of the JSC by 3 February 2012. Although the date and venue of the interviews has not yet been announced, the meeting of the JSC and the public interviewing of shortlisted candidates has been scheduled to take place in April.

Nomfundo Manyathi, nomfundo@derebus.org.za

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2012 (Jan/Feb) DR 7.