Concourt needs more women: Yacoob

Former Constitutional Court Justice Zak Yacoob hopes President Jacob Zuma will reject an all-male list of candidates to replace him, according to a report.

The City Press newspaper reported that during an interview with the newspaper Yacoob criticised Zuma for not "taking the importance of appointing women to court seriously enough".

"The president has the power, in terms of the Constitution, to ask for additional names.

"Whatever the JSC [Judicial Service Commission] does, I would hope the president would say to the JSC: 'I want more names. Go find them'."

In three weeks the JSC would interview five candidates, all men.

Another former Constitutional Court judge, justice Yvonne Mokgoro, echoed Yacoob's sentiments.

"The situation is dire. It calls for drastic measures," Mokgoro was quoted as saying.

There were currently only two female judges on the Constitutional Court bench.

Last year, Zuma appointed Pretoria High Court Judge Ray Zondo over Appeals Court Judge Mandisa Maya.

Yacoob said: "I have nothing against Ray Zondo at all. I think he'll be a worthy colleague, but my own sense is that the president is not taking the importance of appointing women to [the Constitutional Court] seriously enough.

"That's the only inference I can draw [from the non-appointment of Maya]".