JOHANNESBURG, Tuesday 6 October 2026 — The Judicial Service Commission has recommended Judges Gerald Bloem, Mmathebe Violet Phatshoane and Esther Steyn for appointment to the Supreme Court of Appeal after interviewing five candidates for three vacancies on South Africa’s second-highest court.
The Judicial Service Commission resolved after Monday’s interviews to advise President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint the three judges.
The recommendations now move to the President as the judicial appointments process continues.
Bloem is an Eastern Cape High Court judge with about 11 years’ experience on the bench and has previously acted at the SCA.
His age and the length of time he would be able to serve at the appellate court featured during Monday’s interview. EWN reported that commissioners noted he would be able to serve for about three-and-a-half years.
Phatshoane, the Northern Cape Deputy Judge President, has previously served several acting terms at the SCA and brought significant judicial leadership experience to the interview process.
Steyn has served permanently on the bench since 2009 and has experience in the Electoral Court.
Five judges interviewed for three positions
Five candidates appeared before the JSC in Sandton on Monday.
In addition to Bloem, Phatshoane and Steyn, Judges Busisiwe Masipa and Ingrid Opperman were interviewed but were not recommended for the vacancies.
Questions during the interviews included judicial experience, judgment writing and the developing role of artificial intelligence in courts.
Business Day reported that AI became a significant theme during the interviews, including discussion about safeguards around judges’ use of the technology.
Phatshoane told the commission that AI could assist the judiciary but should not take over the core responsibility of judges to decide cases.
Bloem, meanwhile, argued that the SCA needed experienced judges following a period in which judges had retired or moved to the Constitutional Court.
He said those departures had resulted in the appellate court losing significant judicial experience.
Recommendations go to Ramaphosa
The SCA hears appeals from South Africa’s High Courts and sits immediately below the Constitutional Court in the country’s judicial hierarchy.
Its decisions consequently play a major role in the development and interpretation of South African law.
The JSC’s recommendation does not itself constitute an appointment.
The names of Bloem, Phatshoane and Steyn will now be submitted to Ramaphosa as part of the constitutional appointment process.
The JSC’s October sitting is continuing on Tuesday, with further interviews scheduled as the commission considers candidates for vacancies across the superior courts.
