"there is always a danger (although this is difficult to measure) that the presiding officer may be more likely to believe the powerful, upper middle class, male, or white businessman or politician than s/he would believe a working class, black woman."

Well, Pierre de Vos, who believes in redress and AA except when it comes to his own tenured position, has just proved his own biases.   The ZANC, masquerading a "transformation" prefers to appoint judges who will be biased AGAINST pale, stale males with wealth.   It is noticeable that very few of the "civil rights background" appointees have ever, as advocates or academics,  defended the civil rights of the hated White class.