Farewell to Judge Yvonne Mokgoro

The Press Council was honoured to have Justice Yvonne Mokgoro serve as the Chair of its Appointments Panel from 2013 until she was forced to withdraw after a car accident. To the sorrow of her family, friends and colleagues, she passed away on 9 May 2024.

Justice Mokgoro was instrumental in appointing senior staff and public representatives at the Press Council, to whom she was an inspiration. Executive Director Latiefa Mobara described Justice Mokgoro as ‘[not only] an eminent jurist [but also] a great woman who gave selflessly .. to all the bodies on which she served’.

‘She was generous, charming and considered in her advice and was highly regarded by all.’

Justice Mokgoro was a judge of the Constitutional Court from its inception in 1994 until the end of her 15-year term. She was an expert in Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law Jurisprudence, History of Law, Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Private Law and Customary Law, and taught at universities around the world.

Stellenbosch University, which named Justice Mokgoro as a Social Justice Champion, a feature of its Social Justice M-Plan, wrote a tribute which captures her impact on that institution. Judges Matter, among other organisations positively impacted by Justice Mokgoro, also published a tribute.