President Cyril Ramaphosa has made the unpopular request that we as a nation have input and make recommendations before he appoints the new chief justice.

Well, he's got all the power to do that and I hope that he considers the input and applies his mind correctly. We do not want him to regret his public engagement in this regard.

Having made that observation, I think judge Mandisa Maya will be the most suitable candidate for the position.

She was the first woman to lead the Supreme Court of Appeal. She has international credentials as she served as an acting judge in Namibia and Lesotho.

Her track record speaks for itself and she has all it takes to ascend the stage. She has never been in any public space for the wrong reasons and has never been caught up in corruption.

It will not be that because she is a woman, therefore she is entitled to the position. It is her moral and ethical conduct and suitability that makes her a preferred candidate.

It will also address issues of gender that we all support as a nation, that women must be given the opportunity to occupy such offices of responsibility. The judiciary has never had a woman as chief justice before and that is very concerning.

My observation does not suggest that those in the race are not equally relevant, however they too will work with judge Maya to support a government initiative to balance or address gender and race concerns.

Andries Monyane, Sedibeng