Former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro (73) died in hospital on Thursday, 9 May, surrounded by her family.
Mokgoro, who was born in Galeshewe and matriculated in 1970 at the St. Boniface High School, stepped back from public engagements in June last year to focus on her recovery following a car accident.
She was hospitalised in April last year after sustaining injuries in the accident in the Northern Cape.
She was travelling between Warrenton and Kimberley when her car collided with a truck.
The accident subsequently led to further health setbacks.
Family spokesperson and Mokgoro’s son, Ithateng, said: “Our family, and the country at large, has lost a principled servant, whose commitment to justice will continue to shape our society.
“We remain grateful to all those who supported her over the past difficult months, and we ask them to continue to hold the family in their thoughts and prayers.”
Mokgoro was a member of the first Constitutional Court bench and its first African female judge. She retired from the bench in 2009.
After her retirement, she played important roles in legal and civil society circles.
She chaired the South African Law Reform Commission and served on both Lesotho and Namibia benches.
She was a member of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS), chaired the United Nations’ (UN) internal justice council, and took on the significant responsibility as chairperson of the International Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law.
Mokgoro devoted her time and energy towards nurturing the next generation of lawyers and leaders, both as a board member of the Mandela-Rhodes Trust and through her involvement in teaching worldwide.
She also was the inaugural chair of the council of the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley, a position she held from 2014 to 2021.
- On Monday, 13 May, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed that Mokgoro’s partner has been charged in connection with the 2023 car crash in which she was injured.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Northern Cape NPA spokesperson, said after the crash, David Melesi was “criminally charged on one count of reckless or negligent driving with possibility of amending charges to culpable homicide following the death of the judge”.
Melesi, who was summonsed to appear in the Barkly West Magistrates’ Court, was released on a warning.
The case is due back in court on 30 May.
– Ntwaagae Seleka and Karyn Maughan of News24
