Thokozile Mbatha

Mbatha was born on 19 July 1960 in Newcastle in the former Natal Province (present-day KwaZulu-Natal). She attended Inkamana High School in Vryheid from 1974 to 1976 and then St. Francis College in Mariannhill from 1977 until her matriculation in 1978. She completed her BProc at the University of Zululand in 1979; later, in 2021, she obtained a postgraduate diploma in maritime studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. == Career as an attorney ==

Mbatha was admitted as an attorney on 28 April 1987, and she spent most of her legal career practicing in her hometown of Newcastle. and a legal advisor to the Newcastle Local Municipality from 2005 to 2010. She was also invited to serve as an acting judge in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in 2005–2006 and in 2010–2011. == KwaZulu-Natal High Court: 2011–2019 ==

In May 2011, President Jacob Zuma appointed Mbatha permanently to the KwaZulu-Natal High Court; she joined the bench on 1 June 2011. In October 2016, Mbatha sentenced them to lengthy prison sentences, including three life sentences. However, the convictions were overturned on appeal, with the appellate judges raising serious concerns about the quality of the evidence against the defendants; among other things, they noted that the prosecutor had himself admitted in argument that there was insufficient evidence to convict three of the men. During her eight years on the High Court, Mbatha spent almost a full year as an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal from December 2016 to November 2017. but her candidacy did not succeed. Much of the interview centred on Mbatha's sentencing decision in S v Ngubane. == Supreme Court of Appeal: 2019–present ==

In February 2019, the Judicial Service Commission shortlisted Mbatha again for permanent appointment to one of five new vacancies on the Supreme Court of Appeal. On that occasion, her interview was unusually brief – less than 20 minutes – and the Commission recommended her for appointment. After her appointment was confirmed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, she joined the Supreme Court of Appeal on 1 June 2019. She was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court between August and December 2022. == References ==