Justice In Profile
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Pius Nkonzo Langa
Pius
Nkonzo Langa serves as Chief Justice of the South African
Constitutional Court, an institution that has made a profound
impact on the rule of law of
Education and Professional Service
Chief Justice Langa matriculated through private study
and obtained his Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor
of Laws degrees from the University of South Africa. Prior
to studying law, from 1957 to 1960, he worked in a shirt
factory and then found employment as an interpreter in the
Department of Justice. This was followed by a position as
a prosecutor and later as a magistrate.
In 1977, Chief Justice Langa left the public service and
was admitted as an advocate of the Supreme
Court of South Africa. His chambers were in Durban but
his practice, in which political trials predominated, took
him to many parts of
While he was at the Bar, Chief Justice Langa became involved
with lawyers’ organizations. He served in the executive
committees of the Democratic Lawyers Association and later
the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL),
of which he was a founding member. He was the national president
of NADEL from 1988 until 1994.
In October 1994, Chief Justice Langa was appointed as Judge
of the Constitutional Court of South Africa by Nelson Mandela
and became Deputy President of the Court in August 1997.
He was appointed Deputy Chief Justice of
Law and Human Rights
Chief Justice Langa has served as a board member and trustee
in various legal and human rights institution’s, including
the Community Legal Services Unit, the Centre for Development
Studies, the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, the Legal
Resources Trust, the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, the
Human Rights Committee and the South African Legal Defense
Fund.
International Engagement
Chief Justice Langa has participated in numerous conferences
abroad and delivered papers and lectures on a variety of
law and human rights-related topics. He has participated
in the work of constitutional review commissions in
In 1998, the Chief Justice headed a commission that investigated
the
Chief Justice Langa also serves as a member of the Judicial Integrity
Group which was responsible for the drafting and publication
of the International
(Bangalore) Principles of Judicial Ethics.
Work in Southern Africa
Chief Justice Langa assisted in the formation of the Southern
African Judges Commission, a forum for Chief Justices of
the Southern Africa Development
Community and other jurisdictions in other southern
African jurisdictions, which he is currently the chairman
of. The Commission’s focus is, among other things, the promotion
and protection of independence of the judiciary and the
promotion and development of a culture of human rights in
the southern African region.
In 2000, Chief Justice Langa was appointed the Commonwealth's
special envoy to assist the Fiji Islands' return to democracy.
He has also participated in constitutional review commissions
in
Honors and Awards
The Chief Justice has received a number of awards and accolades for his promotion of human rights from the National Association of Democratic Lawyers and the Black Lawyers Association and an International Service Award from the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. He was awarded the 2004 Justice Prize by the Peter Gruber Foundation along with former Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson. In 2006, he was awarded the Sydney and Felicia Kentridge Award for his service to law in Southern Africa.
(This profile is an adaptation of Chief Justice Langa’s bio, which is located on the website of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Permission to reproduce has been requested.)
International
Judicial Monitor