Date of Birth

19 May 1957

University

B.Proc, 1978, LLB, 1981 (University of the Witwatersrand)

History at the Court:

Appointed: 1 January 2022

Brief biography

Justice Kollapen was born in Pretoria in 1957. After school he studied for a B.Proc and LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand.

After university he worked as an attorney for several years, and in the early 90’s joined Lawyers for Human Rights. At Lawyers for Human Rights, he was appointed National Projects Director and later National Director.

In December 1996, Justice Kollapen was appointed as a commissioner of the South African Human Rights Commission where he spent approximately 13 years, 7 of which as chairperson.

Justice Kollapen was appointed as judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria in May 2011, after he had served as an acting judge on the same court in 2010. Justice Kollapen served as the chairperson of the South African Law Reform Commission from 2016.

Justice Kollapen applied several times for appointment to the Constitutional Court, and was shortlisted in April 2019, April 2020 and April 2021. He was recommended for appointment following the interviews in April 2021, but those interviews had to be re-run in September 2021 after the Judicial Service Commission’s process was challenged. Justice Kollapen was again recommended in October 2021, and, along with Justice Mathopo, was appointed by President Ramaphosa on 24 December 2021 with effect from 1 January 2022.

JSC Interviews

Selection of Judgments

• Magashule v Ramaphosa 2021 JDR 1486 (GJ) (http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPJHC/2021/88.html)
• Helen Suzman Foundation v Speaker of The National Assembly (32858/2020) [2020]
• ZAGPPHC 574 (5 October 2020) (http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2020/574.html)
• SA National Defence Union v Minister of Defence & others (2012) 33 ILJ 1061 (GNP); 2012 (4) SA 382 (GNP) (http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2012/20.html)
• Afriforum and Another v Chairperson of the Council of the University of Pretoria and Others [2017] 1 ALL SA 832 (GP)
• Hennie and Others v Minister of Correctional Services and Others (729/2015) [2015] ZAGPPHC 311 (http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2015/311.html)
• Section 27 and Others v Minister of Education and Another 2013 (2) SA 40 (GNP) (http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2012/114.html)