The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has recommended Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judge, Nolwazi Mabindla-Boqwana, be the next Judge President of the Western Cape High Court.
The 51-year-old Mabindla-Boqwana is a former judge of the court after her appointment in 2013.
In 2017, she joined the Competition Appeal Court and acted at the SCA from 2020 to 2021 before being permanently appointed to the SCA in 2022.
The Western Cape High Court division has been troubled and the impact of the fallout of the court’s past and present leaders was laid bare in most interviews conducted on Monday, EWN reported.
Former Judge President, now Member of Parliament, Dr John Hlophe, held the position for more than 20 years until he was impeached in February this year.
Seven esteemed judges sat in the interviews and motivated why they should be elected for the job.
The judges who interviewed for the position were: Judge Patricia Goliath, Judge André Le Grange, Judge Nolwazi Mabindla-Boqwana, Judge Babalwa Mantame, Judge Denzil Potgieter, Judge Hayley Slingers, and Judge Mafeleu Thulare.
Judge Patricia Goliath, the current Deputy Judge President, also faced a grueling interview that lasted almost four hours and her leadership style was grilled by the panel.
She has been the acting Judge President since Hlophe’s impeachment.
Mabindla-Boqwana revealed she had been nominated for the position, however, she has taken this confidence from those who nominated her to heart.
“I reflected on it that they saw something in me, that at this moment in time, you have something that we think can be valuable to control, for you, to contribute in the Western Cape division of the High Court,” Mabindla-Boqwana said during the Cape Argus reported.
Mabindla-Boqwana also said she believed her leadership at the Western Cape High Court could turn the situation around.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to be the deciding voice and will make all appointments official.
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