Raymond Mnyamezeli Mlungisi "Ray" Zondo (born 4 May 1960) is a South African jurist who served as the

Chief Justice of South Africa The chief justice of South Africa is the most senior judge of the Constitutional Court and head of the judiciary of South Africa, who exercises final authority over the functioning and management of all the courts. The position of chief justic ...

from 1 April 2022 until his retirement on 31 August 2024. President

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...

appointed Zondo as South Africa's new chief justice with effect from 1 April 2022. He served as acting Chief Justice from 11 October 2021, when

Mogoeng Mogoeng Mogoeng Thomas Reetsang Mogoeng (born 14 January 1961) is a South African jurist who served as the Chief Justice of South Africa from 8 September 2011 until his retirement on 11 October 2021. Early life Mogoeng was born on 14 January 1961 in G ...

retired, until 31 March 2022.

Early life

Zondo was educated at St Mary's Seminary in

Ixopo Ixopo, also known as Stuartstown, is a town situated on a tributary of the uMkhomazi River along the R56 highway in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Background The town was laid out in 1878 and named after M Stuart, Resident Magistr ...

, the

University of Zululand The University of Zululand or UNIZULU is a comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the uThukela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The university has established partnerships with schools in the United States and Europe suc ...

and the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu- ...

, where he completed his LLB. He was admitted as an attorney in 1989 and practised as a partner in Mathe & Zondo Inc. Judge Zondo received a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

in commercial law, a Master of Laws in labour law, and a Master of Laws in patent law at the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

Judicial career

In 1997 he was appointed a judge of the

Labour Court A labor court (or labour court or industrial tribunal) is a governmental judiciary body which rules on labor or employment-related matters and disputes. In a number of countries, labor cases are often taken to separate national labor high courts. O ...

, and in 1999 he was appointed to the

Transvaal Provincial Division The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law which has general jurisdiction over the South African province of Gauteng and the eastern part of North West province. The main seat of the division is at Pretoria, ...

of the High Court (later the North Gauteng High Court, now the

Gauteng Division The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court, superior court of law which has general jurisdiction over the South African province of Gauteng and the eastern part of North West (South African province), North West pro ...

). In 2000 he was elevated to Judge President of the Labour Court, a post in which he served for ten years. In 2010 he returned to the Pretoria High Court. From November 2011 to May 2012, Zondo served as an acting judge of the Constitutional Court. He was permanently appointed with effect from September 2012 and is now considered a key member, with

Chris Jafta Christopher Nyaole Jafta (born 1959) is a retired South African judge who served in the Constitutional Court of South Africa from October 2009 to October 2021. Formerly an academic and practising advocate in the Transkei, he joined the bench in ...

, of the Court's conservative wing. In June 2017, President Jacob Zuma appointed Zondo to the office of Deputy Chief Justice, succeeding Dikgang Moseneke who retired in 2016. On 10 March 2022, President

appointed Zondo as the new Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, effective 1 April.

Commission of Inquiry into State Capture

Shortly after taking office in 2018, Ramaphosa approved an inquiry into allegations of corruption during the previous

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...

government administration, stating that "This is the year in which we will turn the tide of corruption in our public institutions". Zondo was appointed as presiding judge for the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, leading to its popular name, the Zondo Commission. Hearings began on 20 August 2018, it issued its final report in June 2022 and cost close to R1 billion, far more than any prior South African judicial inquiry.

References

1960 births Living people 20th-century South African judges 20th-century South African lawyers 21st-century South African judges Chief justices of South Africa Judges of the Constitutional Court of South Africa People from KwaZulu-Natal University of Natal alumni University of Zululand alumni Zulu people {{SouthAfrica-law-bio-stub Judges of the Gauteng High Court