Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng voted 2017 South African of the Year

Professor Penny Andrews, Dean of the Faculty of Law, warmly congratulates Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng on his recent naming as 2017 South African of the Year. Mogoeng attracted two thirds of the support in a recent News24 poll, in which almost 40,000 people voted. This is strong testament to Mogoeng’s standing in the public eye, and to his reputation as our Chief Justice.

Chief Justice since 2011, Mogoeng has  been a vocal advocate of our constitutional values, including the independence of the judiciary.   In a 2014 speech delivered at UNISA, Mogoeng noted that “South Africa is blessed with a crop of hard-working and focused Judges and Magistrates who understand and treasure judicial independence”.    These values are reflected in his judgements and the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court.   

Chief Justice  Mogoeng is recognised for his commitment to serving the people of South Africa. With a strong public stand on constitutional rights, Chief Justice Mogoeng has made his position clear on the role of the judiciary and its centrality in maintaining the rule of law in South Africa. The Chief Justice’s reputation, however, is not limited to South Africa and he was recently voted President of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CCJA), which serves to bring together mechanisms of constitutional justice in Africa to promote and disseminate the universal values and principles of state law, democracy and human rights.