Former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro was honoured with a human rights award for “placing ubuntu at the centre of the law”.
Justice Mokgoro was presented the 2022 George Bizos Human Rights Award by the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) “for her remarkable leadership in the pursuit of equality and justice for all” at a function in Johannesburg last Thursday.
The former justice, who served a 15-year term at the Constitutional Court from its inception in 1994 until 2009, is the third recipient of the award, following former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke in 2019.
The award is conferred every year on an individual whose work and efforts symbolise the qualities and values for which George Bizos, who died in 2020 at the age of 92, stood including the pursuit of freedom, justice and democracy.
Mokgoro was appointed as one of the first 11 justices of the Constitutional Court of South Africa by Nelson Mandela in October 1994 and since then, she has distinguished herself as both a judge and a scholar, presenting papers and addressing conferences on constitutional law, human rights and customary law, particularly on the impact of the law on women and children.
“This is an immense honour for me, as I always greatly admired George Bizos’s unstinting commitment to human rights and shared his passion for fighting for the underdog in society – the oppressed, the marginalised, the poor and the voiceless,” she said on receiving the award.
“My wish is that this award will raise awareness for the need to stand firm against human rights violations in our own societies and the world over – not just in relation to our own rights but, more importantly, when it comes to the rights of others unable to fully share in what should be the bounties of their own democracies.”
LRC national director Nersan Govender said that Justice Mokgoro truly epitomised the spirit in which the award was founded.
“Today we pay homage to an outstanding individual who, like George Bizos, is unwavering in her dedication to social justice work and the steadfast advancement of human rights in South Africa,” Govender said.
“We salute Judge Mokgoro’s commitment to democracy and constitutionalism through her activism and her legal work, which has always placed ubuntu at the nucleus of our jurisprudence.
“She has always generously availed herself and her extensive knowledge of the law to civil society organisations such as ours, and for that the LRC and broader society are immensely grateful.”
He added that it was the centre’s hope that the George Bizos Human Rights Award would continue to inspire those committed to the defence of human rights, locally and globally
“We are especially proud to present this award to individuals who display remarkable leadership in the pursuit of justice by advocating for equality and the universal recognition of basic human rights as fundamental to true self-actualisation,” Govender said.
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