Prospective judges are rigorously vetted in a public nomination and selection process conducted by the Judicial Services Commission. Recently, Parliament held transparent and public participatory processes in the appointment of the new public protector, human rights commissioners and other heads of Chapter 9 institutions.

But in other appointments, such as that of the national police commissioner, the president has the prerogative to appoint individuals to this position with little or no transparency and without any public or parliamentary participation. The history of presidential appointments, and the calibre of individuals selected to lead key criminal justice institutions, raise the question of whether these appointment processes need to change.