Former Justice Yvonne Mokgoro Passes away: A tribute to a legal Trailblazer

Picture courtesy: (The Telegraph) In memory of justice Yvonne Makgoro, a pioneering force in South Africa’s legal landscape and a beacon of hope for equality and justice.

(The Post News)- Last year, retired former constitutional court justice Yvone Mokgoro was involved in a serious car accident in the Northern Cape and her severe injuries never recovered. On Thursday afternoon around 5pm at Johannesburg hospital Jo Mboweni a family friend told the press that Mokgoro has passed on.

Mboweni stated that Yvonne Makgoro was discharged from a private hospital in Kimberley and urgently transferred to Johannesburg hospital. Unfortunately, it was at that hospital where she passed away.“She had been in in the hospital for an extended period after a serious car accident, but unfortunately, she did not recover. Our heartfelt condolences to Professor Job Mokgoro, the children, grandchildren, relatives, friends and may her soul rest in peace,” said Mboweni.

Mokgoro was married to former North-West premier Professor Job Mokgoro, and they were blessed with five children. she served on the Constitutional Court from its democratic inception in 1994 until her retirement in 2009. She held a prominent position in academia and was among the initial black members of the judiciary during the country’s first democratic government.

Yvonne Mokgoro was awarded The Order of the Baobab in Bronze in December 2015 by former President Jacob Zuma. The award recognised her outstanding contributions to the field of law and the administration of justice in ta democratic South Africa. Based on the information from the Constitutional Court website, Yvonne Mokgoro was born in Galeshewe Township near Kimberley and completed her matric at the local St. Boniface High School in 1970.

Balancing her legal studies with her full-time work and responsibilities as a mother, Yvonne Makgoro attended the University of Bophuthatswana (now the North-west university), where she completed a BJuris in 1982 and an LLB in 1984. Two years later she obtained her LLB, and she completed Master of Laws (LLM) in 1987. she also studied at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, where she was awarded a second LLM degree in 1990.

Yvonne started her work experience as a nursing assistant and later as a retail salesperson. Before her appointment as a clerk in the department of justice of the former Bophuthatswana government, Yvonne Makgoro worked as a maintenance officer and public prosecutor at the Mmabatho Magistrate’s court after completing her LLB. Subsequently, in 1984, she became a lecture in law at the university of Bophuthatswana’s department of jurisprudence. Her career continued to flourish as she rose to the position of Associate Professor and served until 1991.

Later, from 1992 to 1993 she held the role of Associate Professor at the university of the western cape.Following that, she transitioned to the centre for the constitutional analysis at the human science research council, where she served as a specialist researcher in human rights. Additionally, she lectured part-time at the university of Pretoria until her appointment to the constitutional court in October in October 1994.

Through her illustrious legal career, Yvonne Makgoro taught a diverse range of courses. These included constitutional law, human rights law, jurisprudence, and history of law. Additionally, she covered comparative law, criminal law, private law, and customary law, at various universities across south Africa, the UK, the USA, and the Netherlands.

Makgoro was not only an educator but also an active scholar. She authored and presented papers, participating in numerous national and international conferences, seminars, and workshops. Her focus primarily centred on sociological jurisprudence, with a particular emphasis on human rights. She also explored customary law, examining its impact on society, as well as its implications for women and children.