The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) at Stellenbosch University is saddened by the untimely passing of former Constitutional Court Justice and member of the Council of Social Justice Champions (COSOC), Justice Yvonne Mokgoro.
A quintessential human rights and social justice defender and advocate, Justice Mokgoro was a law teacher-jurist to the end. Her legacy will always inspire for generations to come.
As the CSJ team, we extend our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and colleagues.
Reacting to the shocking news of Justice Mokgoro’s sudden passing, having hoped for her recovery from her 2023 car accident, Prof Thuli Madonsela, who had worked with Justice Mokgoro for years, including Mokgoro Chairing the South African Law Commission and in the ELETU programme preparing Judges and Magistrates for Equality Courts, remarked that “for Justice Mokgoro, Ubuntu was not a concept but a way of life”. Her jurisprudence, as evidenced in cases such as S v Makwanyane, Jaftha v Schoeman, Larbi-Odam and Khosa, ooze a sense of Ubuntu underpinned by a commitment to human rights and related social justice.
Her kindness and spirit of Ubuntu will forever be remembered. May her amazing soul rest in peace.
Heartfelt condolences with love and support.
Prof. Thuli Madonsela, on behalf of the Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University