Harvard-taught, Soweto-born judge in charge of SA courts as Mogoeng, Zondo are out of office

Justice Sisi Khampepe of the Constitutional Court is standing in for chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who is on leave.

Because of his involvement in the inquiry into state capture, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo is not available to perform his usual duties.

Khampepe will act as chief justice for the month of November.

Married with two children, Khampepe obtained her B Proc from the University of Zululand and her LLM degree at Harvard Law School in the US in 1982.

Her legal career spans more than 40 years. She served articles at Bowman Gilfillan, and ran her own practice focusing on labour law.

In 1995 she was appointed by then president Nelson Mandela as a commissioner in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2004 former president Thabo Mbeki appointed her to oversee the Zimbabwean elections. From 2005 to 2006 she chaired a commission of inquiry that looked into the mandate and location of the directorate of special operations, commonly known as the Scorpions.

Khampepe joined the bench in the Gauteng division of the High Court in December 2000. She later served as acting deputy judge president of the Labour Court before being chosen for the Constitutional Court in October 2009.