Come Spring Day, South Africa will celebrate a historic moment: The first day in office for our first female Chief Justice, Judge Mandisa Maya.

We told you about some of her key judgements and trailblazing ways back in 2022 when Maya was endorsed by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) – the body that interviews judges – to become the deputy chief justice. Before that, she served as the first woman president of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), the second-highest court in the land. 

Her path towards the top job kicked into high gear earlier this year when the JSC recommended that Maya succeed Chief Justice Raymond Zondo as the next Constitutional Court Chief Justice – head of South Africa’s entire judiciary. Zondo’s term ends on 31 August 2024. 

The next step was for President Cyril Ramaphosa to implement the recommendation and appoint her, which he has now done, finalising the entire process. 

Ramaphosa announced Maya’s formal appointment last Thursday, as Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, with effect from 1 September 2024.

The president has previously made clear his preference for Maya, so everyone is nicely aligned. 

This appointment marks a significant step towards gender representation in leadership roles in South African courts. 

Maya joins a long list of African women who have served as Chief Justices in their respective countries, including one who has been chief justice for two countries! Talk about an overachiever. Read on and be inspired as we head into Women’s Month. 

🔹 Mabel Agyemang has had an impressive journey as a superior court judge across three Commonwealth countries. She made history in 2013 as the first woman Chief Justice of The Gambia. However, her tenure was cut short in 2014 due to a termination by then-President Yahya Jammeh while she was pushing for judicial reforms. She returned to Ghana and served as a Justice of the Ghana Court of Appeals until 2020, when she was appointed Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

🔹 Kenya also has a woman Chief Justice, the first in her country. Martha Koome started her career at Mathenge and Muchemi Advocates before founding a successful women’s law firm. She defended political detainees during President Daniel Arap Moi’s rule. In 1995, she was appointed Commissioner to the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of Children.

In 2003, President Mwai Kibaki appointed her as a High Court judge, where she led the family, environmental, and land division. In 2012, she became a Court of Appeal judge and was elected Chairperson of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association.

On 19 May 2021, former president of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Koome Chief Justice of Kenya, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

🔹 Nemat Abdullah Khair is the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sudan. She earned her law degree from Cairo University and joined the Sudanese judiciary in the 80s. Khair worked in the Court of Appeals and the Court of First Instance before joining the Supreme Court. She also founded the Sudanese Judges Club. In October 2019, she was appointed Chief Justice by the Transitional Military Council and the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance.

Maya’s appointment has been coming for a long time. She is about to head one of the most important institutions in our country at a time when attacks on The Constitution have become commonplace. Good luck, Madame Chief Justice!