South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday appointed five judges to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
The appointments came following recommendations from the country’s Judicial Service Commission, as prescribed in the South African Constitution.
The five judges are;
- Justice Daniel Vuminkosi Dlodlo
- Justice Caroline Elizabeth Heaton Nicholls
- Justice Fikile Eunice Mokgohloa
- Justice Yvonne Thokozile Mbatha
- Justice Clive Michael Plasket
President Ramaphosa also appointed Justice Xola Mlungisi Petse as Deputy Judge President of the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The president said the appointments were in line with his administration’s quest to introduce changes to the bench.
“These appointments – of which three are women, reflect government’s commitment to the ongoing transformation of the Bench,” he said.
President Ramaphosa also appointed 13 members to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities for a period of five years.
The appointments come just one day after he gave the State Of the Nation Address in parliament, in which he revealed that he draws inspiration from, among others, China’s President Xi Jinping, in the quest to build a new South Africa.
“I dream of a South Africa where the first entirely new city built in the democratic era rises, with skyscrapers, schools, universities, hospitals and factories.
“This dream has been fueled by my conversations with four people: Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Dr Naledi Pandor, Ms Jessie Duarte and President Xi Jinping, whose account of how China is building a new Beijing has helped to consolidate my dream,” President Ramaphosa said.
