Judge Cynthia Pretorius has been a Judge in the North Gauteng High Court since May 2006. She holds B Juris and LLB degrees from the University of Pretoria and UNISA respectively and a Post Graduate Diploma in Labour Law from the University of Johannesburg.
When she started work in 1970, she was the first woman prosecutor in Pretoria before she was elevated to the position of Magistrate in 1974. She worked in various positions in the legal fraternity for the next 20 years, including as an Advocate in the Pretoria Bar between 1994 and 2006.
During her tenure in the Pretoria Bar; she served as a member of the Bar Council (1998 and 1999); Secretary of the Bar Council in 2001; Honorary Secretary of the Bar Council in 2002; Founding member of the Junior Bar Council, Member of the Transformation Committee of the Pretoria Bar in 2001 and a Liaison member for the Legal Aid Board for the General Council of the Bar.
Between 2003 and 2006 she worked as an Acting Judge before she was confirmed as a Judge in 2006. She currently serves on the Judicial Service Commission’s Judicial Conduct Committee – a position she has held since 2011.
Judge Pretorius is married with three adult children; two sons who are qualified lawyers and a daughter who is in practice as an attorney.