Justice Mandisa Maya is likely to be the new president of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
President Jacob Zuma nominated Justice Maya in terms of the Constitution, said the Presidency on Monday. It's a formality that his nomination is likely to be accepted by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
"Justice Maya will fill the vacancy that has occurred following the discharge from active service of Mr Justice Lex Mpati," said Presidency spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga.
Justice Maya was born in Tsolo in rural Transkei in the Eastern Cape, according to her CV on the Constitutional Court's website; she has been an acting judge in the Concourt.
"She was appointed as an acting judge of the High Court in 1999 and a fulltime judge the following year," said Ngqulunga.
"She has acted as a judge at the Labour Court, an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal, and as an acting judge at the Constitutional Court. In 2006 she was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal and in 2015 she was appointed as the first female deputy president of the Supreme Court of Appeal. This will make her the first female president of the Supreme Court of Appeal."
The SCA president is appointed by the president after consultation with the JSC, said Ngqulunga. "The president has informed the chairperson of the JSC, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, about his decision to nominate Justice Maya as President of the Supreme Court of Appeal," he said.
"We wish Justice Maya all the best as the selection process unfolds," said President Zuma.