The judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) have formally welcomed new Judge of Appeal Mandisa Maya into their midst.
President Thabo Mbeki recently announced her appointment in Bloemfontein.
Justice Maya has been an acting Judge of Appeal in the SCA since last year.
The Judicial Service Commission recommended her appointment to Mbeki at its meeting in April, the court said in a statement on Monday.
Judge Maya is now one of three women currently holding office in the SCA.
The other two are judges Carole Lewis and Belinda van Heerden.
Maya is also only the seventh woman to be appointed to high appellate office in South Africa.
The others are Judges Kate O'Regan, Yvonne Mokgoro and Bess Nkabinde in the Constitutional Court, and Judge Leonora van den Heever who was appointed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the pre-1994 era. - Sapa