Former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro passes on

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's first black female judge, former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro has passed on.

Mokgoro, who was appointed to the bench by the country's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, served from the Constitutional Court's inception in 1994 until the end of her term in 2009.

In April last year, Mokgoro was involved in a car accident, sustaining serious injuries and eventually being hospitalised.

Born in the Kimberley township of Galeshewe, Mokgoro held an LLB and two master's degrees in law.

Following her term as a ConCourt judge, she served as the chairperson of an independent panel of experts investigating the circumstances of a stampede at the University of Johannesburg during the institution's 2012 registration period. 

Most recently, in 2022, she received the George Bizos Human Rights Award.

She also took the moment to thank her family for their unwavering support during her tenure.