JOHANNESBURG: South African judge Mandisa Maya was appointed chief justice by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, becoming the first woman to secure the role.
Maya, 60, will take over the helm of the country’s top court from Raymond Zondo, whose term as a Constitutional Court judge expires at the end of August.
Her rise marked a “significant milestone” as “Justice Maya would be the first woman in South Africa to be appointed Chief Justice,” the presidency said in a statement.
Ramaphosa confirmed the appointment after consultations with the Judicial Service Commission and political parties, following Maya’s nomination in February.
Maya had missed out on the top job in 2022, when the Judicial Service Commission recommended her for the role, but Ramaphosa chose Zondo, 64, instead.
Currently Zondo’s deputy, the married mother-of-three is one of four women among the top court’s 10 permanent judges.
The justice ministry described her as a “brilliant legal mind and a trailblazer” with a long legal career that previously saw her become the first woman to hold the position of president of the supreme court of appeal.
“This appointment signifies the deeper appreciation of how far we have come as a nation and how much our courts have transformed, both in terms of race and gender,” said minister Thembi Simelane.
Boasting one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, South African women enjoy a large participation in public life.
More than 40 percent of lawmakers, including the National Assembly speaker and her deputy, are women.
Pakistan killed over 80 militants in strikes on TTP camps in Afghanistan — official
Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy
The Afghan Taliban authorities accuse Pakistani forces of killing civilians in the airstrikes
Updated 5 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN | Arab News Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan destroyed seven Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps and killed over 80 militants, a Pakistani security official said on Sunday, with the Afghan Taliban accusing Pakistani forces of killing civilians in the assault.
Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy. Authorities say the attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, were carried out by the TTP and allied groups that Islamabad alleges are operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this.
According to Pakistan’s information ministry, recent incidents included a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, separate attacks in Bajaur and Bannu, and another recent incident in Bannu during the holy month of Ramadan, which started earlier this week. The government said it had “conclusive evidence” linking the attacks to militants directed by leadership based in Afghanistan.
“Last night, Pakistan’s intelligence-based air strikes destroyed seven centers of Fitna Al-Khawarij TTP in three provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, in which more than eighty Khawarij (TTP militants) have been confirmed killed, while more are expected,” a Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Arab News.
An earlier statement from Pakistan’s information ministry said the targets included a camp of a Daesh regional affiliate, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which claimed a suicide bombing at an Islamabad Shiite mosque that killed 32 people this month.
In an X post, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces had violated Afghan territory.
“Pakistani special military circles have once again trespassed into Afghan territory,” Mujahid said. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children.”
The Afghan Taliban’s claims of civilian casualties could not be independently verified. Pakistan did not immediately comment on the allegation that civilians had been killed in the strikes.
In a post on X, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to Afghanistan Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani and lodged protest through a formal démarche in response to the Pakistani military strikes.
“IEA-MoFA (The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) vehemently condemns the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the targeting of civilians, describing it as a flagrant breach of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity & a provocative action,” it said in a statement.
“The Pakistani side was also categorically informed that safeguarding Afghanistan’s territorial integrity is the religious responsibility of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan; henceforth, the responsibility for any adverse consequences of such actions will rest with the opposing side.”
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan says cross-border militant attacks have increased since then and has accused the Taliban of failing to honor commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement to prevent Afghan soil from being used for attacks against other countries. The Taliban deny allowing such activity and have previously rejected similar accusations.
Saturday’s exchange of accusations marks one of the most direct confrontations between the two neighbors in recent months and risks further straining already fragile ties along the volatile border.
