Lebogang Modiba to head Special Tribunal

Judge Lebogang Modiba has been named the new president of the Special Tribunal. According to a proclamation signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, she replaces Justice Mlindelwa Makhanya, who has retired, the Special Tribunal said. In addition, two High Court judges of the Free State Division, Soma Naidoo and Johannes Daffue, have been appointed as new additional members. A News24 report notes that Modiba, a Gauteng High Court judge who was recently appointed to the Electoral Court, has been a member of the tribunal since 2019. According to her bio on Judges Matter, she enjoyed an illustrious career as an attorney. Modiba has worked for the Office of the State Attorney and the Women's Legal Centre, focusing on human rights litigation. She holds a BProc degree from Wits University, an LLM (Human Rights and Constitutional Practice) from the University of Pretoria, and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, which she earned on an Edward Mason Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2005. According to the tribunal, Dauffe and Naidoo replaced Judge Billy Mothle, who has since been appointed to the SCA, retired Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai, who is now the Legal Ombud, and Judge David van Zyl, who is focusing on as his role as the Deputy Judge President of the Eastern Cape division. ‘The Special Tribunal member-judges who have been retained are Judges Thina Siwendu, Kantharuby Pillay and Johannes Willem Eksteen,’ said a tribunal spokesperson.