What happened
The Judicial Service Commission began its biannual judges’ interview session on Monday. Over five days, from 13 to 17 April, the commission will interview 31 candidates to fill 15 vacancies at superior courts across the country.
The vacancies span the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Competition Appeal Court, the Land Court, and the Eastern and Western Cape High Court divisions. All interviews are being conducted in public and live-streamed.
Why it matters
Vacant judicial posts slow case finalisation and deepen backlogs in a court system already under strain. The Gauteng High Court, South Africa’s busiest, has been operating without a permanent Judge President since the position became vacant.
Judge Aubrey Ledwaba is the sole candidate for the Gauteng Judge President role. His appointment would fill a critical leadership gap in a division that handles the largest share of the country’s litigation.
October deadlock
Monday’s interviews for the three SCA vacancies are a rerun of the October 2025 session. That session ended without a single appointment after the commission’s voting system malfunctioned, producing a deadlock that commissioners could not resolve.
The failure drew criticism from legal observers who argued that the commission’s processes needed reform. Judges Matter, a civil society organisation that monitors judicial appointments, submitted formal recommendations ahead of this week’s session.
What happens next
The commission will announce its recommendations after the interview week concludes on Friday. Successful candidates must still be formally appointed by the President before taking up their posts. The timeline for appointments has not been specified.