Justice Yvonne Mokgoro was born on October 19, 1950, in Galeshewe Township, near Kimberley, Northern Cape. She was born under apartheid, and she actively opposed the system of discrimination and persecution.
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro Career and Education
She overcome numerous barriers to launch a successful legal profession. Mokgoro has a wide educational background, which demonstrates her legal expertise. After graduating from St. Boniface High School, she enrolled in part-time studies at the University of Bophuthatswana, currently known as North-West University. Mokgoro graduated from North-West University with a Bachelor of Jurisprudence, followed by a Bachelor of Laws two years later. Mokgoro received his Master of Laws degree in 1987. Three years later, in 1990, she earned another LLM from the University of Pennsylvania. Finally, Mokgoro’s substantial educational background qualified her for a successful career in law.
Mokgoro’s legal career began with an unexpected twist. Her first two occupations were as a nursing assistant and a retail sales associate. Mokgoro’s public service career began with her appointment as a clerk for the Department of Justice. After receiving her LLB degree in 1982, she was hired as a maintenance officer and public prosecutor in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court. After battling for justice for people in the public sector, she pursued a new route that led her back to education. She joined the University of Bophuthatswana’s Department of Jurisprudence as a law lecturer in 1984. Her dedication to this work enabled her to advance through the ranks, eventually becoming an associate professor. She held that position from 1984 to 1991, and then became an associate professor at the University of Western Cape from 1992 to 1993.
She worked as a human rights specialist for the Human Research Council’s Centre for Constitutional Analysis in addition to her teaching duties. In addition to her other activities, she taught part-time at the University of Pretoria. Throughout her academic career, she taught Constitutional Law, Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Private Law, and Human Rights Law Jurisprudence at universities in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She has also published and presented several research papers at national and international conferences. Mokgoro’s research centered on how South African laws affect women and children both domestically and internationally. Her academic success led to her nomination as a judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa in October 1994, where she served until 2009.
The Constitutional Court was established following the adoption of the country’s first democratic constitution in 1994. In this position, she helped to ensure that the new democratic laws of the land were followed. She chaired the Venda University Council from 2002 to 2009, as well as the Press Council of South Africa’s Selection Committee.
Mokgoro is an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of South Africa, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria, and the University of South Africa. She received a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Toledo, the University of Northwest, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Pretoria, and the University of the Witwatersrand. She has earned various distinctions, including the Human Rights Award from the Black Lawyers Association in 1995, the Oude Molen Reserve Order of Merit in 1995, and the Legal Profession’s Woman Achiever Award from the Centre for Human Rights in 2001. Following her service on the Constitutional Court, she was chosen as Special Ambassador for the University of Venda. Mokgoro was appointed by the President of South Africa as an official Advocate for Social Cohesion in South Africa from 2013 to 2018. Her distinguished career demonstrates her commitment to the legal profession and South Africans’ human rights.
Mokgoro has made significant contributions to the field of law. As a South African woman, becoming a lawyer and later a judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa was a significant contribution to women’s symbolic representation in the legal profession. She demonstrated that, despite being a member of a racial group in a country whose laws enforced her inferiority, she was able to become a prominent figure both domestically and internationally. She has spoken out against violence and human rights breaches, and via her views, she has guaranteed that democratic ideals are maintained. She has received awards for her remarkable work and contributions to the law, as well as serving as a resource for non-governmental and community-based organizations.
Mokgoro’s contribution in this field benefited both South African and international human rights campaigns. She was elected president of Africa Legal Aid, an organization that provides legal help and human rights education throughout Africa. She worked on a number of boards that safeguarded the protection of children and women, including the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the South African Police Service Education Trust. Mokgoro advocated for women’s rights and was a member of the International Association of Women Judges. In 2006, she was chosen as a symbol of South African women’s legal history. This accolade alone demonstrates how influential she was in South Africa’s legal community and around the world. Yvonne Mokgoro is a pioneer for all Black women in the legal profession because she has committed her life to ensuring that the law is just and equitable.
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro Legacy
Mokgoro has distinguished himself in serving South Africa and its legal system. She will have a long-lasting impact on issues pertaining to the safety of children and vulnerable populations, the advancement of women in the legal field, and equality for female attorneys and scholars. Her dedication to advancing justice and strengthening the country is admirable.
Her rulings and a few scholarly publications, including the 1998 journal article Ubuntu and the Law in South Africa, have established themselves as seminal works in the field of legal education in South Africa and beyond.
Her scholarly writings and opinions have contributed to South Africa’s growing constitutionalism.
She fervently defends the application of the law and reverence for the ideals stated in the nation’s constitution. Among them include decency and respect for human rights. She feels that it is the patriotic duty of every South African to keep the constitution pristine.
She also strongly supports national unity and reconciliation. She persuasively advocated for ubuntu, or humanness, as the philosophy that should prioritize constitutional interpretation, for example, in her separate ruling from 1995.
Yvonne Mokgoro’s Husband and Children
She had five children with Job Mokgoro, a politician and academic whom she married when she was young.
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro Cause of Death
Mokgoro was reportedly engaged in an automobile accident in April 2023, according to Sunday World. She experienced multiple health setbacks as a result, forcing her to cancel public appearances.
Between Warrenton and Kimberley in the Northern Cape, the 74-year-old’s car was struck by a truck, allegedly resulting in several casualties.
According to her son Ithateng Mokgoro, their family and the nation have lost a virtuous servant whose dedication will keep influencing society.
Ithateng stated, “We ask them to continue holding the family in their thoughts and prayers. We remain grateful to all who gave her support over the past difficult months.”
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