The Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa is a judge in the

Constitutional Court of South Africa The Constitutional Court of South Africa is a supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general jurisdiction. The Court was first establis ...

and the second-highest judicial post in the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, after the Chief Justice. The post, originally called "Deputy President of the Constitutional Court", was created in September 1995 by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Act, 1995, which was an amendment to the Interim Constitution. The position was retained by the final Constitution which came into force in February 1997. In November 2001 the Sixth Amendment of the

Constitution of South Africa The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Gove ...

restructured the judiciary, and the post was renamed to "Deputy Chief Justice". The first Deputy President of the Constitutional Court was Ismail Mahomed. In 1997 he became Chief Justice, and was replaced by Pius Langa, who continued as Deputy Chief Justice after 2001. Justice Langa was elevated to Chief Justice in 2005, and succeeded by Dikgang Moseneke. Moseneke retired on 20 May 2016.

List of deputy chief justices

* Ismail Mahomed (1995 – 1997; as Deputy President of the Constitutional Court) * Pius Langa (2001 – 2005) * Dikgang Moseneke (2005 – 2016) * Bess Nkabinde (2016 – 2017) *

Raymond Zondo Raymond Mnyamezeli Mlungisi "Ray" Zondo (born 4 May 1960) is a South African judge who is currently serving as Chief Justice of South Africa since 2022. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Zondo as South Africa's new chief justice with effect ...

(June 2017 - April 2022) * Mandisa Maya (1 September 2022-)

References

External links

Constitutional Court of South Africa
{{Constitutional Court of South Africa Judiciary of South Africa Constitutional Court of South Africa