Cagney Musi

Cagney John Musi (born 17 November 1962) is a South African judge who is currently serving as Judge President of the Free State High Court. He was appointed to the court as a puisne judge in June 2005 and was elevated to the judge presidency in December 2018 after two years' service as Deputy Judge President. Before joining the bench, he was a public prosecutor from 1986 to 1992 and a magistrate from 1992 to 2004.

Musi was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court in 2016, and he was president of the African chapter of the International Association of Judges between 2010 and 2018. He also served a term as chairperson of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers between 2014 and 2019.

Early life and education Musi was born on 17 November 1962 in Springs in the former Transvaal Province. He was classified as Coloured under apartheid, and he attended the University of the Western Cape, where he completed a Dipl-Juris in 1985, a BA in law in 1988, an LLB in 1991, and an Hons in public administration in 1993.

Free State High Court: 2005–present On 31 May 2005, President Thabo Mbeki announced that Musi would join the High Court permanently as a judge of the Free State Division. He took office on 1 June 2005.

Labour Appeal Court Musi was an acting judge in the Labour Court in 2008 and 2009 and an acting judge in the Labour Appeal Court in 2013.

In April 2014, Musi was among six candidates whom the Judicial Service Commission shortlisted and interviewed for possible permanent appointment to the Labour Appeal Court. He was recommended for appointment, and, the following month, President Jacob Zuma confirmed his appointment to a ten-year term, with effect from 1 June 2014.

Judge Presidency In October 2016, the Judicial Service Commission recommended Musi for appointment as Deputy Judge President of the Free State Division. but he had dropped out of the contest, leaving Musi as the only candidate. He took office as Deputy Judge President in January 2017.

He was viewed as "an apparent shoo-in" given that he had been given the "unofficial 'stamp of approval'" by, and even "groomed" for succession by, Molemela. In the Lesotho High Court, he presided in the liquidation of companies belonging to Simon Thebe-ea-Khale; six Lesotho judges had recused themselves due to conflicts of interest arising from Thebe-ea-Khale's alleged pyramid scheme. After that, he served twice as an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal, first between December 2021 and May 2022 and then between October and November 2023. He served a full five-year term in that office. According to Musi, Hlophe made the same request for recusal by telephone, as well as in writing. When the tribunal met on 2 July 2018, Musi recused himself from further proceedings.

Musi is an active member in the International Association of Judges; from 2010 to 2018, he served as president of its Africa region and a vice-president of the global organisation. He has been a member of the advisory board of the Free State Centre for Human Rights since October 2018. '''