Personal details

•    Born: 18 September 1959 (Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga)
•    Wife: Cynthia Ramasela (née Tjale)
•    Children: Four (Nhlanhla, Thulani, Thato, Khutso)

Education

•     Matric: Thembeka High School, 1979
•     B Proc: University of Limpopo, 1983
•     LLB: University of South Africa, 2019    

Professional history

•     Legal Assistant: Ka-Ngwane Homeland’s Department of Justice, 1984
•     Fellow: Legal Resource Centre, 1987
•     Articled Clerk: Bowman Gilfillan, 1988
•     Professional Assistant: Bowman, Gilfillan, Hayman, Godfrey Inc., 1990
•     Associate Partner: Bowman, Gilfillan, Hayman, Godfrey Inc., 1993
•     Director/Partner: Mlambo & Modise Attorneys, 1993-1997
•     Acting Judge: Labour Court, June 1997
•     Judge: Labour Court, November 1997
•     Acting Judge: Gauteng Division of the High Court (Johannesburg), 1999
•     Judge: Gauteng Division of the High Court), 15 January 2000
•     Acting Judge: Supreme Court of Appeal (Bloemfontein), 2003
•     Judge: Supreme Court of Appeal (Bloemfontein), 1 April 2005
•     Judge President: Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court, 1 June 2010
•     Judge President: Gauteng Division of the High Court, 1 November 2012
•     Acting Justice: Constitutional Court, January 2022 - 30 July 2022
•     Deputy Chief Justice: Constitutional Court, 01 August 2025    

Other activities

•     Mediator: Independent Mediation Services of South Africa (IMSSA), 1991 - 1997     
•     Trustee: Field Band Foundation, 2001 - 2005
•     Chairperson: Legal Aid South Africa, 2002 - 2019 
•     Judge Moderator: The National Bar Examinations Board of South Africa, 2003 - 2009 
•     Trustee: Africa Legal Aid, 2008 - 2011
•     Chairperson: Expert Group Meetings of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), meeting that approved the Draft United Nations (UN) Principles and Guidelines on Access to Justice in Criminal Justice Systems 2011, which was subsequently adopted by the UN a year later, 2011
•     Chairperson: Judiciary and Administration IT Steering Committee, since 2012 
•     Member: International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges, since 2012
•     Chairperson: Court of Military Appeals, 2012 - 2025
•     Trustee/Board of Directors: International Legal Foundation, since 2013 
•     Chairperson: Gauteng Provincial Efficiency Enhancement Committee, 2013 - 2025
•     Chairperson: UNODC Expert Group Meeting that finalised the revision of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, now called the Nelson Mandela Rules, 2015 
•     Member: International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges, since 2016
•     Chairperson: Community Advice South Africa, since 2019
•     Chairperson: Law Reform Commission Sub Committee, 2019 - 2022 
•     Editor in Chief: Judiciary Magazine, 2019 - 2023
•     Offices Global Executive Council Member: International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges, since 2020
•     President (Africa Chapter): International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges, since 2020
•     Member: BLMNS Selection Committee (Rhodes Scholarship), 2023 - 2024
•     Member: Judicial Accountability Committee
•     Chairperson: Gauteng Infrastructure Committee
•     Chairperson: National Court Infrastructure Committee

Honors and Awards:

•    LLD (Honoris Causa), University of Fort Hare