Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng is retiring After 12 years as a Justice of the Constitutional Court and 10 years as Chief Justice of South Africa, his term as chief justice came to an end on Monday.

Ramaphosa wished the chief justice well in his retirement: Today we pay tribute to Chief Justice Mogoeng for endowing South African jurisprudence and the democratic order more broadly with judicial integrity and resilience, which has impacted positively on the lives of citizens and advanced accountability. “Chief Justice Mogoeng leaves a rich legacy for our democratic culture, our judiciary, the legal profession, and ordinary South Africans,” said Ramaphosa,

His deputy, Raymond Zondo, also paid tribute to Mogoeng, saying Mogoeng served the country well during some of its most difficult times. “On behalf of my colleagues in the Constitutional Court and on behalf of the entire judiciary in this country, I take this opportunity to thank Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng for his excellent service to the judiciary and the people of South Africa. He served this country as chief justice during some of the most difficult times in our constitutional democracy and was able to lead the judiciary with courage, integrity, and wisdom.”

Zondo says one of Mogoeng’s many accomplishments was to create a vision for the judiciary.“The chief justice provided the 2030 Vision for the Judiciary as a contribution to the National Development Plan. This vision outlined the development plans for the judiciary, based on the principle of judicial independence, for the norms and standards, judicial case management, judicial education, court modernization and access to justice.” Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng was the fifth chief justice to be appointed in democratic South Africa.