Jappie recommended for top job on KZN Bench

KZN Deputy Judge President Achmat Jappie may have put his foot in it yesterday (see report below), but in the end the JSC did not hold it against him, notes a Mail & Guardian report. He was the only candidate to be interviewed for the post of KZN Judge President to succeed retired Judge Chiman Patel, and, after a robust interview followed by behind-closed-doors deliberations, the commission agreed to ­recommend him to President Jacob Zuma for appointment. Put under pressure by JSC commissioner Julius Malema, the judge, in what the M&G report says was a frankness not often seen at commission interviews, listed the many difficulties facing the courts and judges, especially the limited capacity to handle the growing population and litigation in the province. What was necessary was for more funds to be made available to the province and its courts, he said. Among the many problems raised was the poor state of the court buildings in the province. A  total of 21 candidates are to be interviewed by the commission over three days to fill six vacancies.