By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) interviewed five candidates for three vacancies at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), in a process that is expected to run for eight days.
Eastern Cape High Court Judge Gerald Bloem was the first in the hot seat, with commissioners pointing out that if appointed, he would only be able to serve for three and a half years.
Bloem said, “Over the last three or four years that court has lost a lot of skills in judges, with SCA judges either retiring or elevating to the Constitutional Court. There is a need for judges with experience and skill to fill the void left by those judges, and if it means three and a half years, I will avail myself for that purpose.”
Judge Mokgere Masipa was asked why, with her labour law background, she did not apply to the Labour Court, or Labour Appeal Court – specialist courts with critical vacancies the JSC seeks to fill.
“While I come with a very strong background of labour law and employment law, I have had more time in the high court doing a variety of areas of law,” she replied.
Judge Ingrid Opperman said it was 10 years to the day since she last appeared before the commission. Having completed three acting stints at the Constitutional Court and one at the SCA, she described her time on the appellate bench as a “life-enriching” experience in a collegial environment where “everyone’s focused on doing what’s best for the country”.
Judge Mmathebe Phatshoane Deputy Judge President of the Northern Cape, had a comparatively short interview, emphasising work in being a role model for young women.
Judge Ester Steyn the most senior KwaZulu-Natal judge and a drafter of the Jali Commission report into corruption in jails, described her time in the Electoral Court as “a pressure cooker” that had prepared her for the appeals court in Bloemfontein. Addressing whether electoral justice is fully understood, she noted: “It is not just the procedural backwaters.”
The interviews, lasting until 13 October, will seek to recommend appointments for the Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape divisions and the specialist labour, land and competition appeal courts.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema on apologised in the National Assembly for his questioning of Judge Keoagile Matojane, who had ruled against the EFF, during the April 2021 JSC interviews.