Messages of condolences continue to pour in following the passing of the country’s first black female judge, retired Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro.
The 73-year-old passed away on Thursday, following an extended period of illness arising from a vehicle accident.
In his message of condolences, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he is saddened by Mokgoro’s passing, who was also an Esteemed Member of the Order of the Baobab.
“On behalf of the Government, President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to Prof Job Mokgoro and the late Justice’s immediate and extended family, as well as her many associates in the legal fraternity in South Africa and abroad,” read a statement from the Presidency.
Justice Mokgoro was a judge of the Concourt from its inception in 1994 until the end of her 15-year term in 2009.
She obtained a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (B Juris) degree at the then University of Bophuthatswana (now North-West University) in 1982, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) two years later, and a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in 1987.
She also studied at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States of America, where she obtained a second LLM degree in 1990.
Throughout her legal career she taught several courses, including Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law Jurisprudence, History of Law, Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Private Law, and Customary Law at a number of universities in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the USA, and the Netherlands.
She wrote and presented papers, and participated in a myriad national and international conferences, seminars, and workshops in South Africa and internationally, in sociological jurisprudence and particularly on human rights, customary law, focusing on the impact of law on society, and on women and children specifically.
In 2015 she was inducted as a Member of the Order of the Baobab in Bronze for her excellent contribution in the field of law and administration of justice in a democratic South Africa.
Ramaphosa added that Mokgoro’s passing is a loss to the nation and the legal fraternity.
“Justice Mokgoro’s passing deprives our nation of a formidable intellect and impeccable jurist who served our democracy at its very inception and through the years that followed.
As we recall the inauguration of our Founding President Nelson Mandela 30 years ago on this day, 10 May, we count his appointment of Justice Mokgoro to the Constitutional Court as one of the critical, transformative decisions he exercised in those early days of our liberation.
As a black female judge, she was a pioneering embodiment of and contributor to the transformation of our country and the legal system and new jurisprudence that enabled this transformation,” explained Ramaphosa.
Meanwhile, Judges Matter, which monitors the country’s judiciary, described her as a trailblazer and a pioneer.
“She was the first black woman to be appointed as a judge of the South African judiciary.
She later became the founding Chairperson of the Sol Plaatjie University and built that institution from the ground-up.
She was an inspiration to many in South Africa, particularly to women lawyers and she devoted a lot of her time in inspiring young people to become human rights lawyers, as she was inspired by Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe to become a lawyer herself,” said Research and Advocacy Officer at Judges Matter, Mbekezile Benjamin.
Benjamin added that Mokgoro has left a huge legacy for South Africa and an excellent example for South Africans to follow.
