HomeWomen In Leadership In the Law - South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA

Country Context

Since the historic end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has been on a journey towards inclusivity and representation across all sectors, including the judiciary. In 2022, Justice Mandisa Maya (formerly President of the Supreme Court of Appeal) was appointed Deputy Chief Justice to Constitutional Court; in 2024, Justice Maya was nominated to become Chief Justice.

Efforts to enhance gender and racial diversity have continued to gain momentum. In 1994, out of approximately 165 judges, 160 were white men, three were black men, and two were white women; no black women were judges at that time. As of February 2023, there are 253 judges, of which 113 are women (45%). Additionally, 17% are white men, 39% are black men, 13% are white women, and 32% are black women.

IAWJ & SAC-IAWJ's Work

The South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ) seeks to establish an Alliance for an Inclusive Judiciary (AIJ). By building a coalition of stakeholders, the AIJ hopes to drive institutional change, promoting gender equality within the judiciary. It is identifying strategic initiatives to enhance transparency in hiring and promotion processes, fostering a culture of information sharing, and addressing issues of sexual harassment and sextortion.

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Since the historic end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has been on a continuous journey toward inclusivity and representation across all sectors, including the judiciary. In 2022, Justice Mandisa Maya, former President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, was appointed as Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. On September 1^st 2024, Justice Maya shattered another glass ceiling by becoming South Africa’s first female Chief Justice.

October 15^th, 2024, South Africa continued to progress their quest for gender parity in their judiciary by recommending 3 women to the Western Cape Division of the High Court. After a competitive interview process, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) selected Adv Melanie Holderness, Magistrate Mas-udah Pangarker, and Magistrate Nontunthuzelo Elizabeth Ralarala. This was the first opportunity that Chief Justice Maya had to chair to JSC interviews since assuming her role in September.

In November 2024, SAC-IAWJ established that it would be focusing on effective communication strategies and codes of conducts as their WILIL intervention strategy. This is aimed at providing the advocacy skills necessary to implement policies and make institutional change, such as creating a code of conduct which prevents discrimination against women in the judicial selection process.

Regular updates will be provided here.

Partners

Resources

Women's representation on the courts in the republic of South Africa

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Women Judges in South Africa: Breaking Barriers & Biases

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Women and the bench: what justice mandisa maya’s interview tells us about women’s place in the judiciary

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Blogs

Gender Equality in South African Judiciary