Ismael Mahomed became first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa

Date: 11 Aug 1991
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Judge Ismael Mahomed became first black judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa. At the time of his appointment the South African government and liberation movements were engaged in negotiations in a forum that came to be known as the Congress for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA 1). Mahomed was born in Pretoria in July 1931 and completed his schooling there, where he qualified as a lawyer. He was, however, excluded from the Pretoria Bar because only whites were allowed. In August 1999 he wrote judgement on Patricia de Lille’s case, where the African National Congress(ANC) had charged her with misbehaving in Parliament. Mahomed overruled de Lille’s suspension and stressed the need for independence of the court from government. He stated that there was no action, not even by members of Parliament, which a court could not adjudicate on or consider its lawfulness or constitutionality.

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01South African History Online, ‘Ismail Mahomed’, [online], available at www.sahistory.org.za(Accessed: 06 July 2012)
02Malley P. ‘1991’, from Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Dialogue, [online], available at www.nelsonmandela.org.za(Accessed: 06 July 2012)
03South African History Online, ‘Liberation history Timeline 1990-1999’, [online], available at www.sahistory.org.za(Accessed: 06 July 2012)

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, August 9). Ismael Mahomed became first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089660

South African History Online (2012) 'Ismael Mahomed became first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa', South African History Online, 9 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089660 (Accessed: 22 July 2026).

South African History Online, Ismael Mahomed became first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089660, (accessed 22 July 2026).

"Ismael Mahomed became first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa." South African History Online, 9 Aug. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089660. Accessed 22 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Ismael Mahomed became first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of South Africa." South African History Online. August 9, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0089660.