PERSONAL 

Born: 6 September 1963 in Johannesburg

Married with children

EDUCATION

1981:               Matric (President High School, Johannesburg)

1985:               B.Com (University of Johannesburg)

1988:               LLB (University of Johannesburg)

1990:               Advocate (National Bar Examination, Bar Pupillage)

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

1989                      Public Prosecutor, Johannesburg (Department of Justice)

1990 – 2014           Junior Counsel (6 July 1990 to 16 September 2014)

2014 – 2017           Senior Counsel (16 September 2014 to 17 January 2017)

2017 to date           Judge (High Court of South Africa, Gauteng

31 January 2020  Presiding Officer Equality Court (High Court of South Africa,  Gauteng)

23 July 2021            Chairperson of the Court of Military Appeals

2024 – 2025          Acting Judge of the Constitution Court (1 December 2024 to 31  May 2025)

Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal: 01 October 2025 - 30 November 2025

Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal: 01 December 2025 - 31 March 2026

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 (4^th 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)

Personal

11 September 1968, Dooringspruit, Polokwane

Married with two children

Education

Ipopeng High School, 1986

B.Proc: 1991- University of the North

LLB: 1998 - University of the North

LLM (Labour): 2002 - Vista University

Diploma Insolvency Law and Practice: 2003 - Rand Afrikaans University

Certificate in Deceased Estates Practice: 2005 - UNISA College of Law

Certificate in Pension Fund Law: 2006 - UNISA

Professional History

Candidate Attorney: SS Machaka Mashiane & Partners - 1991-1993

Professional Assistant: SS Machaka Mashiane & Partners - 1993-1994

Kganyago & Matlala Attorneys: 1994 to 2006

Maake Kganyago Attorneys: 2006 to 19 January 2017

Acting Judge: Thohoyandou High Court from 10th April 2012 to 15th June 2012

Acting Judge: South Gauteng High Court 4th March 2013 to 15th March 2013

Acting Judge: South Gauteng High Court (Palm Ridge) 08th April 2013 to 14th June 2013

Acting Judge: North Gauteng High Court 30th September 2013 to 1st November 2013

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division, Pretoria from 27th January 2014 to 28th February 2014

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division, Pretoria from 10th March 2014 to 13th April 2014

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division, Pretoria Functioning as Thohoyandou High Court from 25th August 2015 to 26th September 2014

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division Johannesburg and Pretoria from 26th January 2015 to 27th March 2015

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division, Thohoyandou, Pretoria and Johannesburg from 13th April 2015 to 15th May 2015

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division, Thohoyandou from 24th August 2015 to 18th September 2015

Acting Judge: Gauteng Division, Pretoria from 05th October 2015 to 11 December 2015

Acting Judge: Limpopo Local Division, Thohoyandou from 25th January 2016 to 26th February 2016

Appointed as a Judge of the High Court, Limpopo Division, Polokwane: 30 January 2017 - to date

Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal: 01 December 2025 - 31 March 2026

Other Activities

Member of the Polokwane Valuation Board from 1996 to 2010

Appointed Part Time Commissioner CCMA from 1999 to 19^th January 2017

Appointed Commissioner Small Claims Court from 1999 to 19^th January 2017

Appointed Part Time Commissioner Dispute Resolution Centre – Bargaining Council for Motor Industry from 2001 to 2014

Chairperson of Nadel Limpopo branch from 2001 to 2014

Appointed Part Time Commissioner Bargaining Council for Motor Industry from 2002 to 2012

NEC member of NADEL from 2002 to 2009

Appointed Secretary of the Small Claims Court Polokwane from 2002 to 19^th January 2017

Circle Member of the Limpopo Law Council from 2002 to 2009

Instructor in Labour Law, Polokwane Law School from 2002 to 2009

Panelist on the Disciplinary Committee Law Society of Northern Provinces from 2003 to 2011

Appointed in Panel of Liquidators for both Pretoria and Johannesburg from 2003 to 19^th January 2017

Chairperson of the Greater Letaba Valuation Board from 2003 to 2008

Vice Chairperson Limpopo Law Council from 2004 to 2006

Chairperson Limpopo Law Council for the period 2006/2007

Council Member of the Law Society of South Africa from 2008 to 2016

Member of the Professional Board for Emergency Care from 2010 to 2015

Member of the Magistrates Commission from 2010 to 2015

Council member of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces from 2011 to 2016

Member of the Companies Tribunal from 2011 to 19^th January 2017

Member of the Panel of Chairpersons of Tax Board, Limpopo Province from 2013 to 19^th January 2017

Personal

22 June 1967, Ga-Rankuwa

Spouse: Harold Lekgaloa Mamosebo

One child

Education

Mmabatho High School

Bachelor of Law: University of Bophuthatswana (now University of Northwest, Mmabatho campus)

BA Hons Labour Relations: Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg)

M Phil (Labour Law and Labour Relations): Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg)

Bachelor of Laws (LLB): University of South Africa

Diploma in Dispute Resolution: Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA)

Professional history

Clerk (criminal courts) Molopo Magistrates Court (1989)

Maintenance officer: Molopo Magistrates Court 1990 – 1991

State Prosecutor: 1991 – 1997 Molopo/Odi Magistrates Court

Assistant Director: Independent Complaints Directorate (now IPID) 1997 -1999

Assistant Director (Senior Legal Administration Officer): Department of Justice 1999 – 2000

Magistrate: Magistrates Commission 2000 – 2003

Manager: Employment Relations and Employment Equity: African Life Assurance 2003 – 2004

Consultant: Small Employer’s Enterprise of South Africa (SEESA) Jan 2005- June 2005

Senior Magistrate: Pretoria and Atteridgeville Magistrates Court: 2005 – 2012

Acting Judge, High Court, Northern Cape Division: 2012 - 2015

Appointed as Judge of the High Court, Northern Cape Division (01 January 2016)

Acting Judge, Labour Court (July - September 2017, and October - December 2017)

Acting Deputy Judge President (01 May 2022 -31 May 2022 and 20 January 2025 – 31 May 2025)

Acting Judge, Supreme Court of Appeal (01 December 2025 – 31 March 2026)

Other activities

Former member of the Judicial Officers Association of South Africa

Member of the South African Chapter: International Association of Women Judges.  Gauteng Provincial Coordinator: 2010 – 2012; Northern Cape Provincial Coordinator 2018 – 2020/1