Niël Terblanche
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, last week, appointed two Deputy Judges-President of the High Court while acting on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
According to a statement by the Judiciary, Justice Shafimana Ueitele and Justice Johanna Sophia (Hannelie) Prinsloo will assume their new roles on 1 April 2025.
Justice Ueitele has served as a High Court Judge since 1 July 2012 and is currently acting on the Supreme Court Bench, where he has served since January 2021.
Justice Prinsloo has been a High Court Judge since July 2017 and was appointed as an acting Judge of the Supreme Court in April 2023.
In addition to the Deputy Judges-President appointments, several acting judges have been named to the High Court for various terms during 2025.
According to the Judiciary, these include the reappointment of Justice Herman Christo January, who will retire on 30 April 2025 upon reaching the age of 65.
He has been appointed to continue as an acting Judge from 1 May 2025 in order to finalise cases that will remain pending at the time of his retirement.
“The Judicial Service Commission extends its congratulations to all the appointees and wishes them well in the execution of their onerous tasks of delivering justice for all,” the statement read.
Other acting appointments include members of the Society of Advocates who will serve limited terms on the High Court Bench.
Reinhard Totemeyer, admitted to the Bar in 1992, will serve from 1 October to 15 December.
Andrew Corbett, at the Bar since 2001, will serve from 1 August to 31 October.
Natasha Bassingthwaighte, who joined the Bar in 2006, will serve from 16 September to 12 December.
Gerson Narib, admitted in 2008, has been appointed to serve from 1 May to 31 July.
Lotta Ambunda, admitted to the Bar in 2020, will serve from 15 April to 31 July in what will be her first appointment to the Bench.
The Judicial Service Commission is tasked with ensuring the integrity and capacity of the judiciary and plays a central role in judicial appointments.
According to the statement, these new appointments were made amid ongoing efforts to strengthen the judiciary’s capacity to manage caseloads and maintain public confidence in the legal system.
