Retired KwaZulu-Natal judge president Achmat Jappie dies at 70

Jappie served as head of the provincial high court from 2015 to 2021 and presided over judicial conduct tribunals after retirement.

Achmat Naeem Jappie, the retired judge president of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court, died on Wednesday at the age of 70².

Jappie was first appointed to the bench in 1998 and served as deputy judge president before becoming head of the KwaZulu-Natal courts from 2015 until his retirement in 2021¹². Chief Justice Mandisa Maya described him as "a distinguished jurist who served the people of South Africa with honour and integrity"².

During his career, Jappie was appointed as an acting judge of the Constitutional Court and had a stint at the Labour Appeal Court². After retiring, he continued to contribute to the legal system by presiding over various tribunals¹. He chaired the judicial conduct tribunal that found suspended Gauteng judge Tintswalo Makhubele guilty of misconduct in a case stemming from a 2019 complaint that Makhubele violated the separation of powers principle by serving simultaneously as chair of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and as a judge¹.

Advocate Madoda Griffiths Madonsela said Jappie gave him his first opportunity to act as a judge in the KwaZulu-Natal high court¹. "It was not a popular decision to allow African advocates (who were not yet silks) to act as judges. But he made an exception for me (and many others later). I'm forever grateful to him for the confidence boost he gave me," Madonsela said¹.

President Cyril Ramaphosa described Jappie as "a longstanding champion of justice in our nation"². The judiciary extended condolences to Jappie's family, calling his passing "a great loss to the Judiciary and the legal profession"².

Jappie's body was to lie at the 45th Cutting Soofie Bhaijaan Hall in Sherwood ahead of prayers at 1pm, with burial at a nearby cemetery¹. He is survived by his children Nadhir, Aneesa and Jameel¹.