Former KwaZulu-Natal judge president Achmat Jappie has died.
Jappie was appointed to the bench in 1998 and was deputy judge president before he became head of the KwaZulu-Natal courts from 2015 until his retirement in 2021.
He was a widely respected figure in the judiciary and contributed to the legal system after his retirement, including by presiding over various tribunals.
Jappie chaired the judicial conduct tribunal which found suspended Gauteng judge Tintswalo “Nana” Makhubele guilty of misconduct.
This followed a complaint in 2019 that Makhubele violated the separation of powers principle by occupying dual positions of serving as chair of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) and as a judge.
Advocate Madoda Griffiths Madonsela said, “He gave me the chance (the first) to act as a judge in the KwaZulu-Natal division of the high court, during his tenure as judge president.
“It was not a popular decision to allow African advocates (who were not yet silks) to act as judges. But he made an exception for me (and many others later). I’m forever grateful to him for the confidence boost he gave me.”
His body will lie at the 45th Cutting Soofie Bhaijaan Hall in Sherwood ahead of prayers at 1pm. Jappie will be buried at a nearby cemetery.
He is survived by his children, Nadhir, Aneesa and Jameel.
TimesLIVE
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