President Jacob Zuma has nominated Constitutional Court Judge Raymond Zondo for the post of deputy chief justice, his office announced on Friday.

This would fill the vacancy left when former deputy Dikgang Moseneke retired in May 2016.

Zondo was the Judge President of the Labour Appeal Court before he joined the Constitutional Court in 2012.

Zuma's intention to appoint Zondo has been conveyed in writing to the leaders of political parties in the National Assembly, and also after consultation with Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

''Pursuant to section 174 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, the President of the Republic is required to consult, among others, with leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly on the appointment of the Deputy Chief Justice.

''President Zuma has also consulted Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng as the Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission,'' his office said.

According to a Johannesburg Bar document on Politicsweb, when he was nominated for the Constitutional Court post in 2012, his qualifications included a BJuris (University of Zululand); an LLB (Natal); an LLM cum laude from the University of South Africa with a specialisation in commercial law, and he was at the time about to be conferred a specialisation in patent law.