Education:

Matric (1982) East Rand High School

Dipl Iuris (1985) University of Western Cape

BA (Law) (1988) University of Western Cape

LLB (1991) University of Western Cape

BA (Hon) Public Administration (1993) University Western Cape

LLM (1995) University of Cape Town

Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa 2001

 

Professional History:

Public Prosecutor: 1986 - Feb 1992

Regional Court Control Prosecutor: Jan 1991 - Jan 1992

District Magistrate: Criminal, Family and Civil Courts: Feb 1992 - Mar 1997  

Regional Magistrate: Mar 1997 - Apr 2004

Acting Judge; Northern Cape High Court, Kimberly: Apr 2004 - Jun 2005

Judge; Free State High Court, Bloemfontein: June 2005

Acting Judge; Labour Court: Apr - Jun 2008; Sep - Dec 2009

Acting Judge; Labour Appeal Court: Feb - June 2010; Jul - Dec 2012; Aug - Dec 2013

Acting Judge; Lesotho High Court & Lesotho Labour Appeal Court: 2010 - Mar 2012

Designated Acting Judge; Lesotho Commercial Court: 11 Jul 2012        

Judge; Labour Appeal Court: Jul 2014 – Jul 2024                                               

Acting Judge President; Free State High Court: Feb-Apr 2015; Dec 2016; Jan-Sep 2017; Jun-Nov 2018          

Acting Judge; Constitutional Court of South Africa: Aug - Dec 2016

Deputy Judge President; Free State High Court: Jan 2017 - Nov 2018

Acting Judge; Supreme Court of Appeal: Jan-Sep 2022; Oct-Nov 2023    

Judge President; Free State High Court: 1 Dec 2018 - to date

Acting Judge; Supreme Court of Appeal:1 Dec 2024 -                

 

Other Activities:

Peer facilitator, training magistrates and Judges, nationally and internationally, on topics including:

Maintenance; Inter-sectionality between HIV/Aids and domestic violence; Domestic violence Act;

Social context in judicial decision making; Equality court matters; Human rights in context of criminal matters; Judgement Writing; Sentencing; Social Context in Judicial Decision Making; Adjudication on matters involving the right to equality; Admissibility of electronic evidence; Judicial Accountability and Ethics; Ethics; Social Media and the Judiciary; Judicial Independence.

 

Deputy Chairperson, Magistrates’ Association of South Africa – (Western Cape): 1993 - 1994

Member of executive committee, Magistrates’ Association of South Africa: 1994 - 1995

Chairperson (Western Cape), Judicial Officers’ Association of South Africa (JOASA): 2000 - 2001.

National President, Judicial Officers’ Association of South Africa (JOASA): 2002 - 2004

President, African Regional Group of the International Association of Judges: 2010 - 2018

Currently Hon President, African Regional Group

One of the Vice Presidents, International Association of Judges: 2010 - 2018.

Board Member: Law, Race and Gender Research Unit (University of Cape Town): 2005

Advisory Board Member: Canada – SA – Justice Linkage Project: 2002

Member, Free State Centre for Human Rights Advisory Board: 8 Oct 2018 - to date.

Chairperson, Malibu Village Residents and Ratepayers’ Association

Member, Western Cape Appointments Committee for Magistrates: 2001 - 2004

Previously Chairperson, Commission for The Remuneration of Public Office Bearers: 2014 - 2019

Member, Judicial Accountability Committee (High Courts)

Chairperson, Judicial Accountability Committee for The Lower Courts Member of the Judicial Case Flow Management Committee

Board Member, South African Judicial Education Institute

Managing Editor, South African Judicial Education Journal

Member, The Hague Conference Judges Network since 2019.

PERSONAL

 

MAMOLOKO KUBUSHI

Born 29 December 1959 in Johannesburg

Partner: Pitso Sekhoto

Five children

 

EDUCATION

1978               :National Senior Certificate (first class pass) Mokomene High School

1983               :B Proc (University of the North)

1987               :Attorney of the High Court of South Africa (Free State Division)

1994               :Conveyancer and Notary (Free State Division)                        

1998               :Certificate in Management (Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College).

1999               :Post-Grad Diploma in Management Studies (Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College).

2000               :Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (University of the Free State).

2002               :Masters of Business Administration (MBA) (Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College).

 

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

1984 – 1987              :Articles of Clerkship (Jake Moloi Fantisi & Co).

1987 – 1998              :Practised as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

1994 – 1998              :Practised as conveyancer and notary.

1998 -2002                :Head of the State Attorney (Free State and Northern Cape Provinces).

2002 - 1998               :Special Advisor (Legal) to the Minister of Defence.

1998 – 2011              :Chief Defence Legal Services (Department of Defence).

2/2011 – 12/2011      :Acting Judge High Court Free State Division.

01/2012 – 04/2012    :Acting Judge High Court Gauteng Division, Pretoria.

05/2012 to date         :Judge High Court Gauteng Division, Pretoria.

10/2015                     :Acting Puisne Judge of the High Court of Lesotho

2018 to date              :Chairperson of the Court of Military Appeals.

2021 – 2022              :Acting Judge of the Labour Appeal Court

1/22 – 12/22              :Acting Judge of the Competition Appeal Court

07/2022 to date         :Judge of the Equality Court

1/23 – 12/23              :Acting Judge of the Competition Appeal Court

02/24 – 05/24            :Acting Deputy Judge President Gauteng Division, Pretoria

07/24 – 09/24            :Acting Deputy Judge President Gauteng Division, Pretoria

10/24 – 11/24            :Acting Deputy Judge President Gauteng Division, Pretoria

06/25 - 09/25            :Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES

1984 – 2012              :Member of the Black Lawyers Association (“BLA”).

1996 – 1997              :Chairperson of the Free State Branch BLA.

1997 – 2000              :National General Secretary BLA under the Presidency of Retired  Deputy Judge President Mojapelo and the late Judge Moloi.

2010 - 2017               :Trustee BLA Legal Education Trust.

1997 – 1998          :Member of the twenty-person committee tasked by the Minister of Justice to restructure the attorneys profession and drafting the Legal Practice Bill.

1997 – 1998              :BLA representative on the first Council of the Law Society of South Africa. 

As a Council member of the Law Society of South Africa served as chairperson of the Gender Equality Standing Committee. Instrumental in the first women lawyers’ conference in South Africa under the auspices “Women & the Law”.

2000                          :Represented the Law Society of South Africa at an International Women Lawyers Conference in London.

1998 – 2001              :Member of the Legal Aid Board under the chairmanship of Judge Navsa.

 

HONOURS

The first black woman to be admitted and enrolled as an attorney, conveyancer and notary, in the Free State Province.