Tag: Women judges

This week on Womanity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Judge Esther Steyn, permanent judge of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court, acting judge of the Electoral Court, and acting judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Judge Steyn’s legal journey began with a Department of Justice scholarship straight out of school. A path inspired by a deeply personal childhood experience of witnessing her father’s humiliation due to poverty. That moment sparked her lifelong mission to understand people’s rights and use the law to protect them. Many years later a childhood friend reminded her that when they were ten years old that she had said, “One day, I will be a judge in this country.” She reflects on her time in academia at the Universities of Cape Town and Western Cape, where she worked and studied simultaneously. Her writings championed victims’ rights long before South Africa had a Victims’ Charter. Her determination to uphold the right to liberty saw her challenging aspects of bail legislation, highlighting the fine balance between public safety and individual freedoms. Judge Steyn shares candid accounts of gender discrimination in the early years of her career, including overtly sexist remarks from senior colleagues, and how she chose to rise above them through excellence and perseverance. She contrasts those times with today’s judiciary, where policies like the sexual harassment code championed by the current female Chief Justice, Mandisa Maya, offer far greater protections for women. The conversation delves into high-profile and impactful cases she has presided over, from a landmark Facebook service judgment to the complex State v Zuma proceedings. She recounts her pivotal role in South Africa’s first Presidential Commission on Corruption, the Jali Commission, which exposed systemic corruption in Correctional Services, addressed prisoner abuse, and proposed reforms that, she laments, remain largely unimplemented. Beyond the courtroom, Judge Steyn is passionate about mentorship and training, having guided many young women into judicial roles, emphasising that their achievements are their own. She believes in “pulling others up” and sees empowering the next generation as a vital way to strengthen the judiciary and society. As South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, she offers inspiration for women and girls to persist in their studies, work hard, and never abandon their dreams out of fear of failure. Her message is clear: “If you start something, finish it – and remember, the only thing that makes your dream impossible is your fear of not achieving it.” Tune in for more…

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August 14, 2025

Judge Esther Steyn – KZN High Court, Electoral Court, Supreme Court of Appeal – Dream

This week on Womanity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Judge Esther Steyn, permanent judge of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court, acting judge of the Electoral Court, and acting judge of the Supreme Cour...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Portia Nkutha-Nkontwana from the Labour Appeal Court. Judge Nkutha-Nkontwana shares how family meetings, where the household were called to “The Table” to resolve challenges or mete out discipline introduced her to dispute resolution and gave a foundation to her career in labour law. Law and legislation have been, and are, powerful tools to advance women’s rights. We discuss some of the important equality gains that women have attained. For example, access to equal education. Judge Nkutha-Nkontwana narrates a personal experience of when she started studying law, her professor complained that there were too many women in his class which caused many of them to deregister from law and pursue alternative studies. The second element we discuss is having female role  models in your profession. They provide visibility of what is possible.  The third aspect is policy changes and instituting deliberate legislation to change gender imbalances in institutions. For example, we now see greater representation of women on boards and in executive positions, where they occupy decision making roles. It is important that we recognise gains can be lost, and in order to uphold women’s rights we need all stakeholders in the legal justice chain to play their part. Happy Women’s Day. Tune in for more….

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August 9, 2024

Judge Portia Nkutha-Nkontwana – Labour Appeal Court – Justice Always

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Portia Nkutha-Nkontwana from the Labour Appeal Court. Judge Nkutha-Nkontwana shares how family me...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Jacqueline Henriques of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court. Judge Henriques comes from a family of educators and initially wanted to follow in their footsteps but was dissuaded by her father. She registered for a BProc at university with the intention of switching over to degree in education, however soon found her passion for law.  For aspiring law students, she recommends focusing on your goals and acquiring as much practical experience as possible. She shares some of the qualities of being a judicial officer, such as impartiality, independence, integrity, ethics, empathy and more… Judge Henriques highlights some of recent amendments to domestic violence legislation, such as stricter bails imposed on persons charged with domestic violence offences and harsher now prescribed for offences related to gender-based violence. The Act has expanded its definition of what constitutes domestic violence, encompassing physical abuse, spiritual abuse, economic abuse, controlling behaviour, harassment, intimidation, elder abuse, and related person abuse to name a few. The Act now also requires the community to play an active role in stopping the scourge of domestic violence it is mandatory for the public to report incidences or reasonable suspicions of domestic violence, and also criminalises the failure of a person to report such abuse. We discuss how policy can be used to drive change to support women, however, remark that implementation and monitoring of implementation is actually what drives change.  Judge Henriques appeals to women to help each other, to support each other and advance each other, so that we all make a positive impact on the world. Tune in for more…

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August 2, 2024

Judge Jacqueline Henriques – KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court– Perseverance and Service

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Jacqueline Henriques of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court. Judge Henriques comes from ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Soma Naidoo from the Free State Division of the High Court, who shares part of her journey to the bench. In early childhood Judge Naidoo came face-to-face with injustices of apartheid and was aware that the “law” was the instrument of discrimination, these experiences motivated her to change the “law”. Her path was not easy, but she stayed the course pursuing excellence in all her endeavours and proving her worth. Judge Naidoo shares some of the impactful cases she has worked on from criminal, to political, to industrial and domestic matters. Arriving at a judgement and suitable sentence is no easy task, and sometimes judges are faced with the worst aspects of humanity, but justice must still be metered out impartially. She mentions some of the strategies she uses to debrief and look out for her well-being as well as colleagues. Judge Naidoo offers several pieces of advice to aspirant lawyers and judges, which include networking, pursuing their academic studies and seeking mentorship to guide and support them throughout their careers. She also mentions a poem, called the “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann, which is an inspirational prose that offers sound philosophies for living a good life, regardless of age.   Tune in for more…

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September 6, 2023

Judge Soma Naidoo from the Free State Division of the High Court

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Soma Naidoo from the Free State Division of the High Court, who shares part of her journey to the bench. In early childhood Judge Naidoo cam...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Raylene Keightley, a permanent judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, who is currently serving as Acting Judge for the Supreme Court of Appeal. Judge Keightley has an accomplished academic career and her transition into practice was prompted by an opportunity from the National Prosecuting Authority’s role in a new act for the prevention of organised crime and establishing the asset forfeiture unit which deals with the seizure of criminal assets. Judge Keightley shares some of the types of legal suits she deals with, such as emotive cases with family law and the urgency of burial matters; and in her job as a judge to do her best within the ambit of the law without fear or favour and to show compassion and dignity towards litigants. The South African judiciary has transformed over the years to represent race and gender demographics of the country. One of the mechanisms for advancing the development of women judges is the South African Chapter of The International Association of Women’s Judges. The sisterhood among members, enables judges and magistrates to learn about each other and get to know one another and continue to develop.   Justice Keightley reminds women that they are strong in their core, they must believe in themselves and to know what their substance is and pursue it. Tune in for more…

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August 30, 2023

Judge Raylene Keightley from the Gauteng Division of the High Court

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Raylene Keightley, a permanent judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, who is currently serving as Acting Judge for the Supreme Cour...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity for our series on women in the judiciary Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Harshila Kooverjie – from the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria. Prior to her appointment to the bar Judge Kooverjie served on several public sector boards, like the Council for Medical Schemes, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Financial Services Board Tribunal as well as the Legal Practice Council – which regulates the legal profession. These positions provide checks and balances to ensure that government does its work properly and citizens don’t abuse their powers. Judge Kooverjie reflects on some of the impactful cases that she has presided over. We discuss the need for victims of gender based violence to have better support structures and processes to help them systematically navigate these traumatic situations. We consider education as a tool to advance gender equality gains, it empowers people to be competitive and at the top of their game. Judge Kooverjie notes that people need to understand the real value of women to society. For too long women have been absorbing more and more responsibilities in order to participate in the workforce without reducing their commitments to the household. Work institutions could help alleviate the pressure by providing on-site childcare facilities. Real change will only come from walking the walk, not talking the talk. Tune in for more…

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August 24, 2022

Judge Harshila Kooverjie – from the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity for our series on women in the judiciary Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Harshila Kooverjie – from the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria. Prior to her appointm...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Lindiwe Rusi from the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Mthatha. Judge Rusi’s disciplined upbringing compelled her to strive for order and equity, which formed foundational values for a vocation in law. During the early part of her career she was involved with several outreach programmes delivering much needed legal knowledge to underserved communities, particularly in areas of customary and family law, domestic violence and access to justice. Reflecting on recent amendments to Acts affecting women, Judge Rusi mentions changes to The Criminal Law Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act Amendment Bill. For example, amendments to the main statutes governing court processes in superior and lower courts makes provision for additional procedures in respect of how witnesses, especially victims of gender based violence, give evidence in court, such as using audio visual facilities, to help reduce secondary victimisation of those victims, because in the process of giving evidence they are forced to relive the experiences. The Domestic Violence Amendment Act sees new definitions of what constitutes domestic violence and places obligations on functionaries of government departments, like the way police render service to victims of domestic violence. To further advance gender equality Judge Rusi considers there are opportunities for government to implement policies aimed at ensuring gender parity and guard the right to equality. Additionally, society needs to stop typecasting women into traditional gender roles. Women should not allow anything or anyone to undervalue their self-worth and derail their dreams. Tune in for more…

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August 17, 2022

Judge Lindiwe Rusi – Eastern Cape Division of the High Court

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Lindiwe Rusi from the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Mthatha. Judge Rusi’s discipline...

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