The South African Human Rights Commission (Commission or SAHRC), congratulates Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for his appointment as Chief Justice. The Constitutional Court of South Africa is the apex court in the country, and as head of this court and the judiciary as a whole, the newly appointed Chief Justice has secured his place in the history of the country.

The Constitutional Court is the apex court of land and makes final decisions in all matters before the courts. 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.

Deputy Chief Justice Zondo has an illustrious legal career on the bench, starting in 1997 when he was appointed a judge of the Labour Court and in 1999 he was appointed to then Transvaal Provincial Division of the High Court (later the North Gauteng High Court, now the Gauteng Division). In 2000, he was elevated to Judge President of the Labour Court, a post in which he served for ten years. In 2010 he returned to the Pretoria High Court. From November 2011 to May 2012, Deputy Chief Justice Zondo served as an acting judge of the Constitutional Court. He was permanently appointed with effect from September 2012. In June 2017, President Jacob Zuma appointed Zondo to the office of Deputy Chief Justice.

Deputy Chief Justice Zondo was appointed as presiding judge for the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, leading to its popular name, the Zondo Commission. Hearings began on 20 August 2018. He impressed most South Africans especially in regard to his demeanor and work ethic. With Deputy Chief Justice Zondo’s wealth of judicial experience, including within the constitutional Court, the Commission is certain that his term as Chief Justice will be a resounding success and wishes him well as the newly appointed Chief Justice.

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Issued by the South African Human Rights Commission

Gushwell Brooks – Communications Co-ordinator Tel: 082 645 8573 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.