Group One had the privilege of hosting the Honourable Deputy Chief Justice Dunstan Mlambo at tea in The Bailey this morning in a delightful informal surprise visit. Our members enjoyed the interaction with the DCJ and were awestruck by his humility and passion for the judiciary.
The DCJ is renowned for his generosity of spirit of honoring invitations to attend many functions hosted by the Bar and advocates’ groups as part of maintaining good relations between the Bench and Bar. Something he strongly believes in from his public addresses to the legal profession.
Speaking at an annual general meeting of the Johannesburg Attorneys Association Mr Justice Mlambo said on the profession and the Bench working together: “I believe in the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession, but that does not mean that the judiciary and the profession cannot work together to give effect to the transformative nature of the Constitution. I am not suggesting in any way that the legal profession should give up the independence to become subservient to the demands of the Bench.”
Judge Mlambo said that the judiciary does not exist in a vacuum as it is an institution founded in society and the profession is the pool from which judges are drawn. He believes that judges require the respect and faith of the profession and the communities they serve to be effective and that public confidence is therefore critical to the administration of justice.
Group One congratulates Mr Justice Mlambo on his elevation to the second highest judicial office in the land and we wish him well in his tenure in the Constitutional Court.