South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the public to nominate their next chief justice.

This he said will "further deepen public confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary".

The president's office said the aim was "to promote transparency and encourage public participation", according to a statement.

The nominations will be emailed to the presidency in the next two weeks after which a panel will shortlist three to five finalists and forward to the president.

The president will consult the judiciary service commission and political party leaders before appointing the chief justice.

The tenure of the current Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng ends next month.