By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mandisa Maya as the country’s first female Chief Justice.
Appointed on Thursday, the 60-year-old senior judicial officer will replace Raymond Zondo whose term as a Constitutional Court judge expires at the end of August.
In a statement on Thursday, the presidency said her elevation is a “significant milestone” as “Justice Maya would be the first woman in South Africa to be appointed Chief Justice”.
She was first nominated in February. Ramaphosa confirmed her appointment following consultations with the Judicial Service Commission and political parties.
In 2022, the Judicial Service Commission had recommended Maya for the top job, but Ramaphosa favoured Zondo, 64, over her.
Currently a deputy to Zondo, Maya, a mother-of-three, is one of four women among the top court’s 10 permanent judges.
Heritage Times HT reports that South Africa is one of the leading African countries with high female representation in public offices.
Over 40 percent of lawmakers, including the National Assembly speaker and her deputy, are women.
