Retired chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng says he knows he is meant to be the president of SA — but when exactly is the question.

Speaking on the sidelines of a gala dinner hosted by the Southern African Institute of Government Auditors in Pretoria on Thursday, Mogoeng responded to questions about the recent endorsement for president he received from the African Alliance Movement (AAM).

“I know that I'm called to be president, but I don't know when or how,” he said.

Mogoeng said he was not going to start a political party or lobby himself to become the next president.

“It's a calling upon my life. I don't know how it's going to materialise. My response is to pray which is why I've been telling people I'll wait for the Lord to speak to me. If He says he's cancelled... I'll be happy to enjoy my pension.

“I'm not associated with any political structure or formation. If I do decide to [run] you'll hear it from me. I'm not considering it but praying about it. It's not something to decide but pray about.”

As a retired judge, Mogoeng enjoys an annual pension of R2.8m which he would have to give up should he enter the political arena.

In a video shared by Public Interest SA founder Tebogo Khaas on Twitter on August 5, Mogoeng is seen with his wife and a representative of the African Alliance Movement who calls on South Africans to vote for Mogoeng in 2024.

Mogoeng said that running for the presidency was a serious responsibility, particularly with an ailing economy like ours.

“I believe running for president is not something you just want to do. It's a serious responsibility, with an economy like this, with the governance systems in a manner they are at national, provincial and local level,” he said.

nkosin@sowetan.co.za