Legal Luminaries JacPod

In the final episode of this season of Legal Luminaries, retired Gauteng judge president and former Tax Ombud Bernard Ngoepe shares his story of growing up in a rural village in Polokwane to serving as a Judge for 18 years.

From his early days tending sheep and cattle – having grown up in a rural village in Polokwane – to a stellar record for his participation in and contributions to human rights and the rule of law in South Africa and abroad, Judge Ngoepe is a pillar of pragmatism and wisdom.

He tells renowned journalist and author Iman Rappetti that one of his biggest life lessons has been finding compassion for his oppressors and using the lessons learned from the past to prevent making the same mistakes in the future.

Judge Ngoepe also shares his insights on the need for a predictable judiciary and the need for law reform in certain areas. He aptly notes that for any justice system to work, the laws must serve its people.

In this episode of Legal Luminaries, anti-apartheid activist and former Constitutional Court judge, Zak Yacoob, shares his personal and professional life story. From experiencing life as a blind person – having lost his sight at 16 months as a result of meningitis – to seeing and overcoming his own prejudices as a young student and man, Judge Yacoob is both candid, humorous, and authentic in this Legal Luminaries podcast interview.

He says that after completing his LLB degree at the University of Durban-Westville in 1972, he tried in vain to get articles at over 30 law firms. When he realised he wasn't getting a foot in the door, he changed his plan – and that has made all the difference in his life.

Judge Jacoob also gives his opinion on some of the challenges and pitfalls in South African society today, including corruption and the judiciary, and shares his dreams of a social revolution for South Africans.

More about Judge Yacoob:

Retired Justice Zak Yacoob has been blind from infancy and studied at the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind in Durban. In service as judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 1998 to 2013, he became known nationally and internationally for his contribution to the socio-economic rights jurisprudence of South Africa. After his retirement, he received the 2013 Felicia and Sydney Kentridge Award for Service to the Law in Southern Africa and was awarded five honorary doctorates from the Universities of Fort Hare, KwaZulu-Natal, Witwatersrand, Pretoria, and the Free State.

“I went from office to office, mostly white law firms and mostly got the same answer. 'We cannot give you a job because we cannot have white secretaries taking instructions from a black person'…” – Judge Navi Pillay

In this episode of Legal Luminaries, Judge Navi Pillay reflects on her journey into the judiciary, the milestones achieved during the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the duty judges have on the bench.

In 1967, Judge Pillay became the first non-white woman to open her own law practice in Natal Province; while years later she was the first non-white woman judge of the High Court of South Africa. Judge Pillay served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.

Speaking to Iman Rappetti in this JacPod Original podcast, in collaboration with Juta, Judge Pillay also shares her perspectives on the imperative surrounding the protection of our Constitution and democracy.

Judge Pillay currently holds positions as Judge Ad Hoc of the International Court of Justice in the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the crime of Genocide (The Gambia v Myanmar), President, International Commission Against the Death Penalty, Madrid, President Advisory Council of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, Chair of UN/HRC Independent Commission of Inquiry into Israel and Palestine, Member, Africa Group for Justice and Accountability and Co-Convenor, Donor Direct Action, New York.

* Some content in this interview relating to sexual crimes may be disturbing to sensitive listeners.

"It takes blood, sweat, and tears - and many sleepless nights - to do what needs to be done to protect the integrity of the courts and the Rule of Law." - Judge Khampepe

In our launch episode of Legal Luminaries, Judge Sisi Khampepe shares some of her experiences and vulnerabilities as an aspiring black female lawyer during the Apartheid regime.

The retired Constitutional Court judge tells Legal Luminaries host Iman Rappetti how those experiences helped shape her career and contributions to South Africa’s judiciary.

Judge Khampepe also shares some wisdom for young aspiring judges and legal minds.

Judge Khampepe has had a rich legal career and is especially renowned for defending the rights of workers against unfair employment practices.

Legal Luminaries - Launches 14 August, 2023