Yvonne Mokgoro: Service to Country and the Law (1950–2024)
摘要
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro was the first Black woman justice appointed to the Constitutional Court of South Africa in 1994, where she remained for 15 years as a pioneering figure. Justice Mokgoro was vital in guiding South Africa’s constitutional jurisprudence away from the cyclic injustice born through colonialism and apartheid—imbedding the foundational values of racial and gender equality, democracy, and ubuntu (dignity) into South Africa’s judiciary. Sadly, Justice Mokgoro passed away during the writing of this book, and this chapter aims to recognize and celebrate her legacy. The chapter honors Justice Mokgoro’s indisputable impact: her work—both within and outside the court room to uplift, protect, and support others, primarily women and children. Her unwavering determination for fair and just law, which reflects the human compassion in which we all have and deserve, embodies the true purpose of judicial authority and the kindness with which she lived by.