- President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed judges who, in October, were interviewed for several higher court positions.
- Thoba Poyo-Dlwati is the first woman KwaZulu-Natal judge president.
- Ramaphosa also appointed Judge Keoagile Matojane to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Judge Thoba Portia Poyo-Dlwati has become the first woman judge president in KwaZulu-Natal after her appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In October, the Judicial Service Commission interviewed Poyo-Dlwati, 47, and recommended her for the position.
She convinced the commission she was the right for the job as she had a clear vision for women in the judicial system as well as the skills acquired from various leadership roles.
Advocate Elsje-Marié Bezuidenhout was appointed the first woman judge on the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg.
During her interviews, she told the commissioners that she would enhance diversity on the bench.
Poyo-Dlwati and Bezuidenhout will assume their roles on 16 January.
News24 has learnt that their appointments will be announced next year.
Gauteng High Court Judge Keoagile Matojane was appointed a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judge.
Following the #JSCinterviews which took place from 3 - 11 October 2022, President @CyrilRamaphosa, has, in terms of section 174(6) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, & on the advice of the JSC, appointed the following Judges: Effective: 01/12/2022#ocj_rsa pic.twitter.com/UD5De36OZG
— RSAJudiciary (@OCJ_RSA) December 15, 2022
Matojane presided over former president Jacob Zuma's corruption case.
He was attacked on social media after he ruled that former prisons boss Arthur Fraser unlawfully granted parole to Zuma and ordered his return to prison.
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Zuma had been serving a 15-month sentence at the Estcourt Correctional Services Centre for contempt of the Constitutional Court.
Other appointed candidates in the SCA include Justices Pieter Andries Meyer and Daisy Molefe. They assumed their roles on 1 December.
Justice Norman Manoim was appointed a Competition Appeal Court judge for five years.
Justice Dumisani Zondi was appointed as chairperson of the Electoral Court.