Magistrates Commission to interview over 500 candidates for 270 magistrate posts across South Africa
For three weeks starting on Tuesday, 17 October to 3 November 2023, the Magistrates Commission will interview a whopping 190 candidates for more than 70 district magistrate vacancies in the Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape provinces. This will be the first of five 3-week sessions where the Magistrates Commission will interview nearly 600 candidates for 271 district magistrate posts across South Africa.
Candidates are drawn from experienced attorneys, advocates and prosecutors, and will be tested on their knowledge of criminal law, family law, civil law court procedures, ethics and integrity. Some candidates are already permanent magistrates seeking transfer to other district courts.
Due to the sheer volume of applicants, the 9-member Appointments Committee of the Magistrates Commission will be sitting for over 5 sessions of 3 weeks each to make crucial appointments at various district courts.
In the first 3 sessions (17 October – 15 December 2023) they will cover Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape, Limpopo, Free State and Gauteng. In the remaining two sessions until end January 2024, they will cover Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
The high number of vacancies is due to promotions, retirements, and transfers to new posts created in the last two years at the over 1800 district magistrates courts across the country.
The Appointments Committee comprises of a regional court president, two chief magistrates, a regional magistrate, an attorney, an advocate, a law professor, a member of parliament, and a civil society member nominated by the President.
“Magistrates Courts are the coalface of justice in our country. Most South Africans will only ever experience the courts through the magistrates court. Whether they are victims of crime seeking justice, mothers seeking maintenance for their children, small business owners needing to get back monies owed, they all need to be served by competent and caring judicial officers. It’s vitally important that only the best people get appointed as magistrates,” says Zikhona Ndlebe, researcher at Judges Matter, a civil society watchdog that monitors the judiciary in South Africa.
Interviews for magistrates take place near the Magistrates Commission’s Pretoria headquarters and are open to the public and the media, although no live broadcast is allowed.
Download the official advert here (closing date 21 April 2023).
View the shortlist of the candidates here (as at 26 September 2023).
Interview Details:
Date: from 17 October 2023
Venue: ANEW Capital Hotel, 390 Lilian Ngoyi Street, Pretoria CBD
For more information contact:
Ms Nicolette van Zyl, secretary to the Appointments Committee of the Magistrates Commission: nvanzyl@justice.gov.za / 012 395 0700/4