‘Busi for chief justice’ … what Cyril gets for asking the public to help out

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s invitation for public nominations for the next chief justice of the country has been met with cynicism by some, while others have commended the unprecedented move.

The term of the current chief justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng, comes to an end on 11 October.

In a statement on Thursday, the president said the invitation for public participation was meant to promote transparency.

Section 174(3) of the Constitution empowers the president to appoint the next chief justice after consulting the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly.

In terms of the Constitution, the chief justice is “the head of the judiciary and exercises responsibility over the establishment and monitoring of norms and standards for the exercise of the judicial functions of all courts”.