• Judge Lebogang Modiba has been named the new president of the Special Tribunal, effective from 1 May 2022.
• Modiba takes over from Judge Mlindelwa Gidfonia Makhanya who has retired.
• In addition, two judges of the Free State High Court were named additional members.

Judge Lebogang Modiba has been named the new president of the Special Tribunal, effective from 1 May 2022.

Modiba takes over the reins from Judge Mlindelwa Gidfonia Makhanya, who has since retired, the Special Tribunal said in a statement on Monday.

In addition, two High Court judges of the Free State Division, Soma Naidoo and Johannes Daffue, have been appointed as new additional members.

This according to a proclamation signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which stated:

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Modiba, a Gauteng High Court judge recently appointed to the Electoral Court, has been a member of the Tribunal since 2019.

According to her bio on Judges Matter, she enjoyed an illustrious career as an attorney.

Modiba has worked for the Office of the State Attorney and, later, the Women’s Legal Centre, focusing on human rights litigation.

She holds a B.Proc degree from Wits University, an LLM (Human Rights and Constitutional Practice) from the University of Pretoria, and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, which she earned on an Edward Mason Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2005.

According to the Tribunal, Dauffe and Naidoo replaced Judge Billy Mothle, who has since been appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal, retired Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai, who is now the Legal Ombud, and Judge David van Zyl who is focusing on as his role as the Deputy Judge President of the Eastern Cape Provincial Division.

“The Special Tribunal member-judges who have been retained are judges Thina Siwendu, Kantharuby Pillay and Johannes Willem Eksteen,” Tribunal spokesperson Selby Makgotho said.