Johannesburg –
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola asks whether Mlambo was involved in making Legal Aid so techno savvy? Mlambo says yes he was chairing the board when they decided Legal Aid SA was deciding on tech improvements @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Mlambo says technology can go a long way if properly taken advantage off. He says that CaseLines (an evidence management platform) is so good that he cannot go back to hardcopies. He looks forward to the implementation court online and he will ensure to champion tech @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Mlambo says there is an issue around the well-being of judges like medical aid etc. He says this needs to be looked at @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Mlambo says the Maintenance Court in SA is “ineffective”. He says you hear horror stories all over about the issues there and how single mothers struggle to get anywhere @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Mlambo says there needs to be consequence management especially for those who take a prolonged time (sometimes up to 2 yrs) in handing down judgments. “if you can’t write judgments then you should not be in the judiciary,” he says @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
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He is now going through is seven pillars. Mlambo says “Effective Leadership” is pillar one. He says in one aspect, members of the judiciary need to find each other. He says there needs to be a judicial colloquium @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
His vision is to run an efficient and effective judiciary. He has based his vision on seven pillars @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Mlambo is now given 30 mins to state his case on why he should be the next Chief Justice @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Petse asks Mlambo about rumours that he left the SCA because he could not put up with the challenges there. Mlambo says that he did not “run away” @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
When Chairperson Petse says they can be forgiven as it was their right to do so, Mlambo agrees and says that he always tells them to “bring it on” @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Mlambo says that he believes visibility and face-to-face presence goes a long way in ensuring the smooth running of courts. He says he has a habit of arriving unannounced at judges chambers just to chat with them @IOL
— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has arrived at the #JSCinterviews for #ChiefJustice
He tells the panel he has lost 5kgs in preparation for this interview @IOL pic.twitter.com/9iHYU7CZvC— Kailene Pillay (@kailenepillay) February 3, 2022
The search for South Africa’s next Chief Justice continues today as the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) enters its third day of interviews with for the top job.
Justice Dunstan Mlambo – a veteran of the South African legal system – will be the third candidate to take the hot seat as he is expected to be grilled by the Commissioners on why he should be the next Chief Justice.
Over the last 30 years, Mlambo distinguished himself as a legal authority and as a former chairperson of Legal Aid South Africa. He has extensive experience in establishing and managing a legal aid system.
He was appointed Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court by former president Jacob Zuma effective from November 2012, succeeding Justice Bernard Ngoepe.
Mlambo stated in his CV that he had “devoted his practice of law towards the upliftment and protection of people on the ground as a public interest lawyer and trade union lawyer”.
During a speech made shortly after he took office, he said he would ensure that “access to justice becomes what it should be”.
However, during the round of public comments last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa received at least two objections against Mlambo’s possible appointment as the next Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.
Among the reasons cited for the objections were that he allegedly faced impeachment and imprisonment on eight counts of misconduct. He was accused of lacking ethics and allegedly demonstrating his contempt for the Constitution, the law and the truth.
The objections were submitted by Limpopo Legal Solutions, a non-profit organisation that advocates for human rights, and KZN-based advocate Anthony Brink.
Brink also accused the Judicial Conduct Committee of corruptly closing ranks around Mlambo as a ranking member of the JSC to protect him from being held to account, impeached and jailed for his alleged crimes and other misconduct.
At that time, acting spokesperson in the Presidency, Tyrone Seale, confirmed more than 500 objections and support letters were received for the candidates.
One of Mlambo’s most notable cases was in the 2014 Oscar Pistorius murder trial when he ruled that the entire trial proceedings may be broadcast live via audio and that parts of the trial may be broadcast live via television.
The ruling was welcomed by members of the South African media, who described it as a groundbreaking decision supporting freedom of expression, freedom of the media, open justice and democracy.
His reasons for allowing live broadcasting of the trial included dispelling perceptions that the rich and famous receive preferential treatment from the justice system, enabling public access to an unedited first hand account of the trial, and educating the public about criminal proceedings in general.