"CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF NORTH WEST PROVINCE?"
The furore surrounding the nomination of Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to become the next Chief Justice has tempted me to play parody on St John's words: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth" John 1: 46.
Some people even media houses tend to have selective amnesia. They worry more about nature and tend to disregard nurture when they argue or debate.
While Section 174 of the constitution gives the President all the power to nominate and only consult the Judicial Services Commission and leaders of political parties, some commentators have even sought to usurp the role of the president by not only suggesting what has to be done but even saying who should be appointed.
Let us remind ourselves that one's domestic background should not be used as the major determined of one's level of development. Examples in this regard are plenty. Qunu was unknown to some until Mandela became president, Idutywa is equally as sleepy as before Thabo Mbeki rose to become president. Very few, if any, knew that there is a place called Nkandla on the map of South Africa until Jacob Zuma rose to popularity. It is very few people who can associate Arch Bishop Tutu with Klerksdorp. The list is endless.
It is therefore not logical to argue that because Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng was Judge President in the North West Provincial High Court he does not deserve being considered for the position of chief justice. He is qualified. He is well read. For the record he was interviewed for the position of judge, then Judge President and subsequently Judge of the Constitutional Court. He has nothing more to prove. He surely has gone through the mill compared to some names that have been bandied around.