Eastern Cape attorneys Mandela Makaula and John Smith, and Port Elizabeth Regional Court president Thami Beshe were put forward for recommendation as judges in the Eastern Cape Division’s Grahamstown High Court.
The recommendations were presented by Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo to President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday night.
Eastern Cape attorneys Mandela Makaula and John Smith, and Port Elizabeth Regional Court president Thami Beshe were put forward for recommendation as judges in the Eastern Cape Division’s Grahamstown High Court.
The recommendations were presented by Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo to President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday night.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has been concerned about the lack of both female and black candidates for judge and judge president positions.
JSC spokesman Dumisa Ntsebeza said that they have now reached a stage where “extreme measures” should be taken to ensure that there is representation on all of the JSC’s benches.
However, the JSC has stated that it will not play a numbers game to ensure that it meets its representation targets.
If Smith, who is currently practising in East London, is appointed as a judge in the High Court, he will be the only coloured judge in Grahamstown or Port Elizabeth.
However, while Smith believes this is an important consideration, he hopes that if he was appointed it would be based on his competency as an attorney and not on race.
In the rest of the Eastern Cape, Judge Irma Schoeman was put forward as a judge in the Port Elizabeth High Court, Advocate RE Griffiths as judge in the Mthatha High Court, and Judge Clement Temba Sangoni as judge president of the Eastern Cape. Ntsebeza said that the final confirmations should be made within the week.
