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:

25 July 1966: Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Husband: Late Sijadu Lulamile Vulindlela Ndizana
Two children including the Late Yivani Mbali Ndizana

Education: 

Matric: Mount Arthur Girl’s High School, Lady Frere, Eastern Cape (1983)

B. Soc Sc, University of Cape Town (1987)

Social Work Honors University of Cape Town (1988)

LLB, University of Natal, Durban (1991)

Accredited Arbitrator by Independent Mediation Services of South Africa (IMSSA) (1997)

Global Faculty Development Certificate (GFD) Wharton Business School, Pennsylvania, USA (2010)  

Professional History: 

Intern: Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), University of Witwatersrand (1992)

Tutor: Labour Law Academic Support Program (Wits) 1992

Articled Clerk: Cheadle Thompson and Haysom Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg (1993 – 1995)

Professional Assistant : Von Klemperer Davis, Pietermaritzburg (1995 -1996)

Founder: Thina Siwendu & Associates later Siwendu & Partners Inc. (1996 – 2012)

Director: Corporate Commercial Department Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc (2012 – 2016)

Acting Judge of the High Court:  Gauteng Division, Johannesburg (2014 – 2016)

Judge of the High Court:  Gauteng Division, Johannesburg (2017 to present)

Special Tribunal Member in terms of the Special Investigation Unit and Special Tribunals Act  (2019 – present)

Acting Judge of the Competition Appeal Court (2021 to present)

Acting Judge, Supreme Court of Appeal: 1 June – 30 November 2022; 1 December 2022 - 31 March 2023; 1 April - 31 May 2023; 1 June - 30 September 2023

Other Activities: 

Examiner Attorneys Admission Examination Book Keeping and Ethics, KwaZulu-Natal Law Society

Member of Special Complaints Committee, KwaZulu-Natal Law Society

Part-Time contract law Teacher for Continuing Legal Education Law Society of South Africa

Deputy Chairman, South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA KZN) 

Non-Executive Director; East Coast Radio (2003 -2005)     

Research Fellow, Centre for Corporate Governance University of Stellenbosch (2008 – 2017)

Member of the United Nations Global Compact Advisory Committee (South African Local Network) (2014-2016)

Non-Executive Director in listed and unlisted companies Thebe Investments (2006- 2008) Grindrod Limited and Grindrod Bank (2008 -2010) Woolworths Holdings Limited (2009 -2017)

Commissioner of the South African Law Reform Commission (2013 – 2018)

Ministerial Designate to the National Forum for the Transformation of the Legal Profession (2015 – 2016) 

South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges member (2017 – present)

South African Judicial Education (SAJEI) Moderator and Presenter (2020 and 2021)

Honours and Awards:

Moot Finalist Final Year LLB, University of Natal, Durban (1991)

Siwendu and Partners Inc voted by Impumelelo as a Top Empowerment Companies (2003)

Regional Business Women Achiever; Professional Category by Business Women’s Association (BWA) (2004)  

PERSONAL

Born 23 September 1965, Johannesburg

Partner: Gary Da Mata

No children

EDUCATION

Matric:  Hoёrskool Linden (1983)

Degrees: B Comm Law (1986) Rand Afrikaans University, (now University of Johannesburg)

LLB (1988) Rand Afrikaans University

LLM Banking Law (1992) Rand Afrikaans University

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Candidate Attorney Bowens - Attorneys, Johannesburg - January 1989-December 1990

Admitted as attorney March/April 1991

Employed as Professional Assistant - Bowens Attorneys - April 1991-February 1992

Pupillage - Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA) - February 1992 to July 1992

Member JSA - 2 July 1992-30 November 2018

Senior counsel status conferred - 2009

Various acting appointments at High Court, Johannesburg during 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Acting appointment at High Court, Pretoria – February 2018, May 2018

Appointed as Judge of the High Court, Gauteng Division, Johannesburg - 1 January 2019 to present.

Acting Judge, Supreme Court of Appeal: 01 June – 30 September 2024

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Member of Law Society of Northern Province -1991-February 1992

Member JSA 1992 – 2018

Member of Bar Council JSA - November 1998 – October 2007

Ad hoc member of JSA Bar Bursary Fund Committee – 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 and JSA Professional Committee - 2013

Involved in Advocacy Training JSA from 2000 – 2009; since 2019 on ad hoc basis when requested to assist

Involved in training programmes of Aspirant Women Judges and Aspirant Judges in 2022 and 2023