By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng is on “long leave” and his deputy Raymond Zondo is busy with state capture inquiry work, paving the way for justice Sisi Khampepe to become the country’s acting chief justice.
Mogoeng’s office announced on Friday he was taking long leave from May 1 after informing President Cyril Ramaphosa and Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola.
According to Nathi Mncube, the spokesperson for the judiciary, regulations promulgated in terms of the Judges’ Remuneration and Conditions of Employment Act 2001 provide for judges to take leave of three and a half months for every period of four years’ actual service.
“This leave is referred to as long leave within the judiciary.
“The chief justice’s four-year cycle to take his long leave commenced on July 1, 2018 but he was unable to take it due to his judicial and extrajudicial commitments,” Mncube said.
Mogoeng’s leave of absence comes five months before his term presiding over the highest court in the land comes to an end in October. Appointed by former President Jacob Zuma in 2011, Mogoeng has courted controversy in recent months with comments over Israel and advocating for people to denounce Covid-19 vaccines.
His departure follows his appeal in April against the Judicial Conduct Committee’s finding of misconduct and ordered him to apologize, after he criticized South Africa’s foreign policy over Israel. South Africa has a standing policy in support of Palestine and has downgraded its diplomatic operations in Israel as a result.
The 64-year-old’s appointment by Ramaphosa is effective May 1.
According to a statement by the office of the chief justice on Wednesday evening, Khampepe’s legal profession spans 40 years, beginning with an LLM from Harvard University. She served her articles at Bowman Gilfillan, now Bowmans, and went on to start her own practice, SV Khampepe Attorneys.
Her career includes being commissioner at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995, and in 2004 she was appointed to oversee the Zimbabwe elections as an observer.
In February 2006 she was seconded as a member of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the presidential and parliamentary elections in Uganda.
She started her judicial career in 2000 at the Gauteng high court and in 2009 she began serving at the Constitutional Court.