President Jacob Zuma has appointed Constitutional Court Judge Ray Zondo as the Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa with immediate effect.

Judge Zondo will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke last year.

Judge Zondo has been a judge since 1997, when he was appointed to the labour court, and served on the North Gauteng High Court bench before he was named to the Constitutional Court in 2013.

A statement from the Presidency said Justice Zondo comes to the position of Deputy Chief Justice “with enormous experience in the broader legal profession”.

“Prior to being appointed as a Judge, he practised for many years as a human rights and labour lawyer, having begun his career as an articled clerk under the late Mrs Victoria Mxenge. Justice Zondo also served on several commissions and committees, including the Goldstone Commission of Inquiry regarding the Prevention of Violence and Intimidation, as well as the Ministerial Task Team which was established in 1994 to draft the Labour Relations Bill for post-apartheid South Africa,” the statement said.

“Justice Zondo was appointed as a Judge of the Labour Court in November 1997. In 1999 Justice Zondo was appointed as a Judge of the then Transvaal Provincial Division of the High Court. In 2000, Justice Zondo was appointed as Judge President of the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court for a period of 10 years.

“After completion of his ten years’ term of office as Judge President of the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court in 2010, Justice Zondo returned to the North Gauteng Division of the High Court as a Judge of that court. Justice Zondo was appointed as Acting Judge of the Constitutional Court with effect from November 2011 until 31 May 2012.

He was appointed as a Judge of the Constitutional Court in September 2012.

President Zuma wished Justice Zondo all the best in his “new and important responsibility of advancing our constitutional democracy”.