Nine civil society organisations have called on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) not to proceed with any new interviews for judicial appointment until the JSC has in place a published code of conduct for commissioners and stipulated criteria to assess suitability of candidates for appointment.

The letter asks that the JSC gives the organisations an undertaking by no later than 8 March 2022 that it will put in place a code and criteria ahead of the next round of interviews scheduled for 4-8 April 2022.

The organisations that signed the letter include the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Corruption Watch, the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), Defend our Democracy Campaign, Freedom Under Law, the Helen Suzman Foundation, Lawyers for Human Rights, the Legal Resources Centre and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.