Nathan Ponnan | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal | |
| Assumed office 1 December 2004 | |
| Appointed by | Thabo Mbeki |
| Judge of the High Court | |
| In office 2001–2004 | |
| Appointed by | Thabo Mbeki |
| Division | Gauteng |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Visvanathan Ponnan 17 August 1960 Durban,Natal Province Union of South Africa |
| Spouse | Vinitha Jithoo |
| Alma mater | University of Durban–Westville |
Visvanathan Ponnan (born 17 August 1960) is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. He joined the Gauteng High Court in 2001 and was elevated to the Supreme Court of Appeal in December 2004. Before that,he practised as an advocate in Durban between 1985 and 2001.
Ponnan was born on 17 August 1960 in Durban. [1] He matriculated at Gandhi Desai Secondary School and went on the University of Durban–Westville,where he completed a BA in 1982 and an LLB in 1984. [2]
He was admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa in 1985 and practised at the Durban Bar for the next 16 years. [1] During that time,between 1995 and 1998,he served on the Judge White Commission,which was established by President Nelson Mandela to investigate the administration of the former TBVC states. He was also a commissioner of the Commission for Conciliation,Mediation and Arbitration between 2000 and 2001,and he was an acting judge in the Eastern Cape High Court in 2000. [1]
Ponnan joined the bench permanently in 2001,when he was appointed as a judge of the Gauteng High Court. [1] During his latter years in the High Court,he was an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal between 2003 and 2004. [2]
In October 2004,he was one of six candidates shortlisted and interviewed as a candidate for appointment to one of three vacancies at the Supreme Court of Appeal. [3] The Judicial Service Commission recommended his appointment,and he was appointed by President Thabo Mbeki in November 2004,alongside Dunstan Mlambo and Chris Jafta. [4] He was often noted for his judgements on open justice matters [5] [6] and freedom of information, [7] [8] and he wrote the court's judgements in prominent matters concerning Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe [9] and the corruption prosecution of former President Jacob Zuma. [10]
He is married to Vinitha Jithoo and has two children. [1]
Yahya John Mandlakayise Hlophe is Judge President of the Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa.
Thembile Lewis Skweyiya was a South African lawyer and judge who served on the Constitutional Court of South Africa between February 2004 and May 2014. He rose to prominence as a civil rights lawyer during apartheid and he served three years in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court before his elevation to the Constitutional Court.
Christopher Nyaole Jafta is a retired judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
Zukisa Laura Lumka Tshiqi is a South African judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. She formerly served in the Supreme Court of Appeal from December 2009 until October 2019,when President Cyril Ramaphosa elevated her to the Constitutional Court. She was a practising attorney until she was first appointed to the bench in the Gauteng High Court in 2005.
Leona Valerie Theron is a judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Before her elevation in July 2017,she served in the Supreme Court of Appeal between December 2010 and June 2017. She is the first Coloured judge to serve in the Constitutional Court.
Xola Mlungisi Petse is a South African judge who has been the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal since 2019. A former attorney,he joined the Supreme Court as a puisne judge in June 2012. Before that,he was a judge of the Eastern Cape High Court from July 2005 to May 2012.
Rammaka Steven Mathopo is a judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Before his elevation to that court in January 2022,he served in the Supreme Court of Appeal between June 2015 and December 2021. He was formerly a judge of the Gauteng High Court from January 2006 to May 2015,and he practised as an attorney for 17 years before then.
Nambitha Dambuza is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. A former attorney,she sat in the Eastern Cape High Court from 2005 until her appointment to the Supreme Court in June 2015.
Wendy Hughes,formerly known as Wendy Hughes-Madondo,is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Formerly an attorney in private practice,she was a judge of the Gauteng High Court from July 2013 until July 2021,when she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Halima Khanam Saldulker is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. She began her judicial career as a judge in the South Gauteng High Court from August 2004 to July 2013,when she was appointed to the Supreme Court. Before that,she practiced as an advocate in Johannesburg between 1988 and 2004.
Pieter Andries Meyer is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Before his elevation to that court,he was a judge of the Gauteng High Court from November 2007 to November 2022. He formerly practised law in Johannesburg,where he was admitted as an advocate in 1986 and took silk in 2004.
Dumisani Hamilton Zondi is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. He was appointed as the chairperson of the Electoral Court in 2022. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court in June 2014,he served in the Western Cape High Court between 2007 and 2014,as well as in the Competition Appeal Court between 2011 and 2014. He entered legal practice as an attorney in 1986.
Ashton Schippers is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Before his elevation to that court in June 2018,he served in the Western Cape High Court from February 2013 to May 2018. He was formerly an advocate in Cape Town,where he took silk in 2004 and where he was chairperson of the bar council between 2004 and 2006.
Tati Moffat Makgoka is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Formerly an attorney in Pretoria,he served in the Gauteng High Court from August 2009 until June 2018,when he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Appeal. He was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court in 2023.
Boissie Henry Mbha is a retired South African judge who served in the Supreme Court of Appeal from June 2014 to August 2022. He was also the chairperson of the Electoral Court from 2018 to 2022,and he acted in the Constitutional Court for a term in 2016. A former attorney,he was appointed to the bench in October 2004 as a judge of the High Court's Gauteng Division.
Aubrey Phago Ledwaba is South African judge who is currently serving as the Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa. Formerly a practising attorney in Gauteng,he joined the bench as a puisne judge in November 2005 and was elevated to his leadership position in July 2013. He was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court in 2019 and an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal between 2020 and 2021.
Petrus Arnolus Koen is South African judge who is currently serving in the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court of South Africa. Before joining the bench in November 2006,he was Senior Counsel in Pietermaritzburg. He is best known for presiding in the corruption trial of former President Jacob Zuma from May 2021 until he recused himself in January 2023.
Cagney John Musi is a South African judge who is currently serving as Judge President of the Free State High Court. He was appointed to the court as a puisne judge in June 2005 and was elevated to the judge presidency in December 2018 after two years' service as Deputy Judge President. Before joining the bench,he was a public prosecutor from 1986 to 1992 and a magistrate from 1992 to 2004.
Mokgere Busisiwe Shareen Masipa is a South African judge of the High Court of South Africa. She was appointed to the KwaZulu-Natal Division in July 2016 after 14 years as a practising attorney in Durban. She is an expert on labour law.
Malesela Francis Legodi is a South African retired judge of the High Court of South Africa. He was the first Judge President of the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court from August 2017 to August 2023. He joined the bench in October 2004 as a puisne judge of the Gauteng Division. Before that,he was a practising attorney in Mpumalanga.