President Cyril Ramaphosa has honoured Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s decade-long term at the head of the Constitutional Court. According to the President, Mogoeng led his term with fearlessness, integrity and resilience.
“Today we pay tribute to Chief Justice Mogoeng for endowing South African jurisprudence and the democratic order more broadly with judicial integrity and resilience which has impacted positively on the lives of citizens and advanced accountability.
“Following a decade of outstanding service and leadership, [he] leaves a rich legacy for our democratic culture, our judiciary, the legal profession and ordinary South Africans,” the President said.
Mogoeng will be remembered for leading a “fearless” judiciary
President Ramaphosa continued by commending Mogoeng for leading a fearless judiciary. This trait has earned SA international recognition.
“Chief Justice Mogoeng’s leadership inspired a judiciary that was fearless in holding those in power to account and empathetic to the plight of individuals and groups in our society. This has deepened international regard for South African jurisprudence, for the integrity, effectiveness and efficiency of our democratic institutions, and for the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution.
“Chief Justice Mogoeng presided over our judiciary during a decade which was challenging in many ways, but during which our judiciary held firm and enabled the renewal of our society,” he said.
A well-deserved retirement
“Having served the nation with such distinction since September 2011, Chief Justice Mogoeng is now able to devote himself to more his personal interests, even though we know he will continue to be an important figure and voice in public life,” President Ramaphosa said.
New Chief Justice to be appointed
The process to appoint a new Chief Justice is currently underway. At the moment there are eight people who qualify for a nomination to lead the apex court.
SA citizens have until 17:00 on Friday, 15 October, to submit objections with regards to any nominees. All nominee biographies are available on The Presidency’s website.
Media Statement: Term of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng comes to an end