Phineas Mojapelo

Born in Polokwane, Limpopo, Mojapelo began his legal career as an attorney in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, where he ran a prominent law firm with Mathews Phosa and Ephraim Makgoba.[1] His university class also included Monica Leeuw, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Mathews Phosa, and his time in Turfloop coincided with the height of the Black Consciousness Movement; he was a member of the South African Students' Organisation.[6] In May 2016, Mojapelo certified South Africa's largest-ever class action suit,[7][8] brought by mineworkers in Nkala v Harmony Gold;[9] and in February 2017, in Democratic Alliance v Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, he blocked the state's attempt to withdraw from the Rome Statute.[13][14] The ruling was politically sensitive and developed judicial precedent insofar as it found that the Equality Act's definition of hate speech extended to gestures, as well as words.In 2008, he led a full bench in adjudicating Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe's lawsuit against the Constitutional Court and its justices,[18][19] and in 2014, he set aside Zwelinzima Vavi's suspension as the general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions.[24] In March 2012, the Judicial Service Commission announced Mojapelo, Mlambo, and Francis Legodi as the three shortlisted candidates for the judge presidency,[25] and they were interviewed in Cape Town the following month.In the op-ed, published in the Sunday Times, Mojapelo argued that the Judicial Service Commission had departed from proper procedure in appointing Sandile Ngcobo as Chief Justice of South Africa in 2009.
Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng High CourtThabo MbekiBernard NgoepeDunstan MlamboNorth GautengJudge of the High CourtGautengPolokwaneTransvaalUnion of South AfricaAlma materUniversity of the NorthHigh Court of South AfricaSouth Gauteng Divisionpuisne judgeNorth Gauteng DivisionConstitutional Court of South AfricaPolokwane, LimpopoNelspruit, MpumalangaMathews PhosaEphraim MakgobaJudicial Service CommissionSouth African Law Reform CommissionNorthern TransvaalMonica LeeuwCyril RamaphosaTurfloopBlack Consciousness MovementSouth African Students' Organisationprivate lawcustomary lawWebber WentzelStandard Bank CentreJohannesburgattorneySupreme Court of South AfricaNelspruitEastern Transvaalcommercialcriminaltrade union formationsEnos MabuzabantustanKaNgwanePretoria High CourtTransvaal Provincial DivisionWitwatersrand Local DivisionConstitutional CourtSupreme Court of AppealChristian Lawyers' Association v Minister of HealthconstitutionalityChoice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996Constitutionabortionsclass actionmineworkersRome StatuteEquality Courtapartheid-era South African flaghate speechPromotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000Western CapeJohn HlopheZwelinzima VaviCongress of South African Trade Unionsthe rape trialJacob ZumaMail & GuardianFrancis LegodiCape TownSunday TimesSandile NgcoboChief Justice of South AfricaNomvula MokonyaneJeff RadebeMinister of JusticeMogoeng MogoengSouth African policystate of IsraelLady R incidentEnver SurtyDemocratic Alliancejudicial independence