The JSC must conduct an open interview with Justice Mogoeng

Following the President's nomination of Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng as his preferred candidate for the position of Chief Justice, the DA believes that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) must conduct an open interview to assess his suitability for the position.

The DA's representative on the JSC, Advocate Hendrik Schmidt MP, will motivate for such an interview to take place within the next week. Advocate Schmidt will also request that the President make available the information he considered, as well as the reasons for nominating Justice Mogoeng as his preferred candidate ahead of other potential candidates.

The appointment of a Chief Justice is a decision that requires the most careful and detailed consideration. To ensure that the consultative process envisaged in section 174 of the Constitution is meaningful, we believe that the President's nominee should be interviewed and interrogated in the same way that all judicial appointees are. This is precisely why previous nominees for the position of Chief Justice have been interviewed by the JSC.

A number of interested parties as well as members of the legal fraternity have expressed concerns at the President's nomination of Justice Mogoeng. It is therefore appropriate that he is given an opportunity to address these concerns in an open hearing.

Statement issued by Helen Zille, leader of the Democratic Alliance, August 17 2011

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