Ramaphosa names first woman as deputy chief justice

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Mandisa Maya as the country’s first permanent female deputy chief justice after skipping her for the top job at the Constitutional Court.

Maya’s appointment will take effect on September 1, the Presidency said in a statement on Monday. She was also the first female president of South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal.

Ramaphosa nominated Maya as deputy chief justice in March after he named Raymond Zondo to head the Johannesburg-based top court. That ignored a recommendation by the Judicial Service Commission, whose members include lawyers, judges and representatives of political parties, to appoint Maya.

Maya’s appointment means four of the highest court’s 10 justices are women. Bess Nkabinde, who is now retired, was acting deputy chief justice from May 2016 until June 2017.