The principle of judicial independence has been described in the case of Law Society of Lesotho v The Prime Minister and Another, as requiring judicial officers to be free to make their decisions without depending on the influence of another or any external pressure. The judiciary only owes its loyalty to the constitution and the law in the way it dispenses with justice. One of the requirements of the principle of judicial independence is appointing judicial officers in an open and transparent manner.2 Those appointed should be men and women of dignity and integrity who are able to hold the executive, the powerful, the rich and the poor accountable if they contravene the prescription of the law.3 / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2010. / Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Mbazira and Dr. Winfred Tarinyeba of the Faculty of Law, University of Makerere, Uganda. 2010. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM