Personal
16 May 1977, Durban
Spouse: Kavita Govindjee
Two children
Education
Grey High School
BA: Rhodes University
LLB: Rhodes University
LLM (Labour Law): University of Port Elizabeth
LLD: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Professional history
Admitted as an attorney (2002)
Professional assistant and Director, Soni Incorporated (2002–2005)
Accredited as a Commissioner, Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) (2005)
Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Nelson Mandela University (2003–2011)
Consultant to Burmeister de Lange Soni Inc (2006–2015)
Visiting Professor, National Law School of India University’s Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (2011-2013)
Deputy Head of the Labour and Social Security Law Unit, Nelson Mandela University (2007–2016)
Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, Nelson Mandela University (2011–2021)
Head of the Department of Public Law, Nelson Mandela University (2013–2016)
Executive Dean, Faculty of Law, Nelson Mandela University (2016-2021)
Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, Nelson Mandela University (January – March 2020)
Part-time senior commissioner (CCMA) (2009-2018)
Consultant to Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc (2016–2021)
Acting Judge, High Court, Eastern Cape Division (2021)
Appointed as a Judge of the High Court, Eastern Cape Division (Makhanda) (1 January 2022)
Honorary Professor, Department of Public Law, Nelson Mandela University (since 2022)
Acting Judge, Labour Appeal Court (two terms during 2024)
Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal (1 December 2025 – 31 March 2026)
Selected publications
- Olivier, Govindjee and Kalula (eds) Migration Vulnerability: Access to social protection for select migrant categories (SUN Press, 2024);
- Pellissery, Mathew, Govindjee, Narain (eds) Transformative law and public policy (Routledge, 2020);
- Govindjee ‘Social protection and vulnerable workers in South Africa’ in Westerveld and Olivier (eds) Social protection outside the realm of labour law (Edward Elgar, 2019);
- Van der Berg and Govindjee ‘The law of evidence and substantive law’ in Schwikkard and van der Merwe (eds) Principles of Evidence (4th Ed) (Juta, 2016);
- Olivier, Dupper and Govindjee (eds) The interaction between international, regional and national labour law and social security (Juta, 2013);
- Govindjee and Dupper ‘Constitutional perspectives on unemployment security and a right to work in South Africa’ in Liebenberg and Quinot (eds) Law and Poverty: Perspectives from South Africa and beyond (Juta, 2012);
- Botha and Govindjee ‘The regulation of racially derogatory speech in the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000’ South African Journal of Human Rights (SAJHR) (vol 32(2)) (2016) 293–320;
- Olivier and Govindjee ‘The inter-relationship between administrative law and labour law: Public sector employment perspectives from South Africa’ Southern African Public Law (vol 30(2) (2015) 319–346;
- Govindjee, Olivier and Dupper ‘Activation in the context of the unemployment insurance system in South Africa’ Stellenbosch Law Review (vol 1) (2011) 205–227.
Selected honours and awards
LLM awarded cum laude (2002)
Included in the Mail & Guardian’s List of 200 Young South Africans (2013)
Member of the South African Young Academy of Science (2014)
Emerging Old Rhodian Award (2015)
Appointed by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) to the Special Panel of Experts for Law (2015-2019) and NRF-Rated
Visiting Scholar, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) (2019-2021)
Council member, Legal Practice Council (LPC) (designated by the South African Law Deans Association) (2018-2021)
Council member, South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI) (designated by the Chief Justice) (2024 to date)
Nelson Mandela University Achiever Award (2024)
Other activities
Editorial committee member of various law journals (including the SALJ and ILJ)
Promoted several LLD theses, LLM dissertations and treatises
Extensive lecturing experience on LLM programmes, post-graduate diploma courses (also in SADC) and certificate courses run by various universities in South Africa
Assisted Legal Aid South Africa on an ad hoc basis in respect of impact litigation (2007, 2014)
Appointed mentor for Mandela-Rhodes Scholars (2008-2009)
Appointed mentor for the Business Women’s Association (BWA) (2009-2015)
Part of a South African Society for Labour Law (SASLAW) initiative to offer pro bono legal services in Port Elizabeth (2011)
Faculty advisor to the Nelson Mandela University Black Lawyers’ Student Association (BLASc) (2011-2015)
Lecturer, Port Elizabeth School for Legal Practice (2004-2015)
Trained / facilitated aspects of labour / social security law to CCMA Commissioner Candidates, various trade union members, shop-stewards, parliamentarians and government officials (2002-2021)
