Third time a charm for North West deputy judge president hopeful?

Judge Ronald Hendricks is being interviewed for the position of deputy judge president of the North West, as Judicial Services Commission (JSC) interviews continue in Midrand on Tuesday.

This is the third time he is being interviewed for the post.

Hendricks is the only candidate in the running.

During his interview, Hendricks was asked why he thought he would be successful this time around. 

"Not only is there a passage of two years that elapsed [since my last interview], I have had the opportunity to act as deputy and judge president, where I have demonstrated my capabilities of being in a leadership role," Hendricks replied. 

On its website, Judges Matter, the JSC posted a short profile on Hendricks, detailing how he had fared in previous interviews, when, among other things, he was questioned on allegations that he had bullied a cleaner at court - a claim he denied.

The JSC also raised Hendricks' handling of traditional leadership cases, which it reported had raised concern among critics in the academic fraternity.

This stemmed from Hendricks' handling of several cases involving Kgosi Nyalala Pilane, of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela, whom he acquitted of fraud and corruption. These cases were linked to the administering of millions of rands that the Bakgatla community derive from platinum mining activity on their land, reported the JSC.

Having served as a judge since 2003, Hendricks has presided over one of SA's most prominent domestic violence cases, the murder of police constable Francis Rasuge. She was last seen alive with her lover, William Nkuna, before disappearing. Her remains were found eight years after she was reported missing. Nkuna is serving a life sentence for the murder. 

Hendricks also presided over the “sunflower case", in which a teenager from Coligny, Matlhomola Mosweu, was killed, reportedly for stealing sunflowers. He sentenced Mosweu’s murderers, Phillip Schutte and Pieter Doorewaard, to 23 and 18 years in jail respectively.