Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng

Date of Birth

14 January 1961

University

BIuris (1983) (University of Zululand), LLB (1985) (University of Natal, Durban), LLM (1989) (UNISA)

History at the Court:

Appointed: 12 October 2009

Appointed as Chief Justice: 8 September 2011

Retired: 13 October 2021

Brief biography

Justice Mogoeng started his professional career as a Supreme Court (now High Court) prosecutor in Mafikeng, holding this position between March 1986 and February 1990, when he resigned to do pupillage at the Johannesburg Bar.

After completing pupillage, he practised as an advocate in Johannesburg until the end of 1991.Justice Mogoeng then terminated his membership of the Johannesburg Bar and immediately became a member of the Mafikeng Bar Association (now known as North West Bar Association) until May 1997.

Whilst at the Mafikeng Bar, Justice Mogoeng served as the deputy chairperson of the Bar Council and as the chairperson of the Bophuthatswana chapter of Lawyers for Human Rights. He was also a part-time senior lecturer in criminal law and criminal procedure at the University of the North West, Mafikeng Campus, from 1992 to 1993.

Justice Mogoeng was a member of the Industrial Court from 1989 until it ceased to exist.

In 1994 he served in the legal section of the Independent Electoral Commission in the North West province.

In June 1997 he was appointed a judge of the North West High Court. He was also appointed a judge of the Labour Appeal Court in April 2000.  In October 2002 he was appointed Judge President of the North West High Court.

Justice Mogoeng was a member of the five member committee, led by then Chief Justice Pius Langa, which investigated racism and gender discrimination within the judiciary.

Justice Mogoeng was nominated by the Judges President[AS1]  to represent them in the council of the South African Judicial Education Institute in 2009.

In January 2009, Justice Mogoeng and Judge Andre Davis, judge of the Federal District Court for the District of Maryland, USA, co-hosted a series of workshops on judicial case management throughout South Africa. He chaired[AS2] the Caseflow Management Committee, which reported to the various heads of courts.  In this capacity, Justice Mogoeng led the team that organised the Access to Justice Conference, which was held from 8 to 10 July 2011.

Justice Mogoeng is also an ordained pastor and serves in several church structures

Selection of Judgments written