JOHANNESBURG - The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is advising the president to appoint Judge George Phatudi as the new Judge President of Limpopo.
This ahead of current Judge President Ephraim Makgoba’s retirement.
Three candidates interviewed for the position on Wednesday.
They faced a tough panel.
The panel didn’t hold back on the candidates vying for Judge President.
And Judge Legodi Phatudi faced strong criticism over some of his judgments.
Revered advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi has also now joined the commission and hit the ground running, pulling no punches in this exchange with Phatudi over an appeal against an eviction he and another judge removed from the roll because of allegations of wrongdoing against the attorney of record.
"So, in front of you and Judge Makhafola there is an order of someone who lost a house and therefore their Section 26 rights are implicated. What you do instead, the High Court removed the matter from the roll. You don't deal with the eviction. You remove the case from the roll. And yet the very purpose of having a judiciary is so it can protect people whose properties are being taken unlawfully."
The interviews wrapped up late on Wednesday night and after brief deliberations, the JSC announced that it was recommending Judge Geroge Phatudi - the last to interview - for the post.
The interviews are set down until early next week.
