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Profiles of the Judges of the Special Tribunal

Judge Bernard Makgabo Ngoepe (President)

Judge Ngoepe has been appointed as the President as from 09 February 2026.

Judge B M Ngoepe holds B Iuris and post graduate LLB degrees. He practised law for many years as an attorney and later as an advocate until he was appointed Senior Counsel (SC). Thereafter he was appointed a Judge and later Judge President of the North and South Gauteng High Courts. He served for 18 years as a Judge, 14 of which as the Judge President, until he took voluntary retirement. He has also served for years as a Judge, and later Vice-President, of the African Union’s African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Arusha, Tanzania; also acted in the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court. He has rendered service to various academic institutions in different capacities: as Chancellor of the University of South Africa for about 16 years; services to the universities of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, Northwest (then Potchefstroom), Limpopo, and Pretoria. He served as the country’s first Tax Ombud for 9 years until his term ended in 2022. He served as Chair of the Magistrates Commission (a body which appoints magistrates in the country) for over 10 years; a former member of the Judicial Service Commission (which appoints judges) for over 12 years; former President of the SANDF’s Court of Military Appeals for over 10 years; former Chair of the Appeals Board of the Council for Medical Schemes for years; served as assessor of the quality of law teaching at post-graduate level at 4 different universities. He was member of an 8-person team that drafted the Interim Constitution under which first democratic elections were held; was a member of the Amnesty Committee of the TRC. He has made various national and international presentations on various topics, and has written a book (Rich Pickings out of the Past). He is presently serving (all on a part-time basis) as: Chair of the Appeals Panel of the Press Council of South Africa; Chair of the Final Appeal Committee of the Advertising Regulatory Board; Head of the Investigative Unit of Cricket South Africa; and Chair of the Ministerial Independent Investigative Panel (Department of Water and Sanitation); and Arbitrator adjudicating disputes and a Member of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa International Arbitration Court.

Judge Ngoepe has received numerous honours and awards, such as: the Duma Nokwe Award for Human Rights; 4 Honorary Doctorate degrees from various universities; Honorary Professorship in law; Honorary Captain of the South African Navy; honours by legal professions and members of the Judiciary, as well as various honours and awards from various other institutions and societies.

Judge Thandi Victoria Norman, Eastern Cape Division, Grahamstown

Judge Norman is a judge of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court.  Prior to her appointment as a judge she served as the Evidence Leader to the Commission o]f Enquiry into allegations of State Capture from March 2018 until 2021.  She was also the Chairperson fo the Advocated for Transformation in KwaZulu Natal.  She was appointed by the President of the Republic of South Africa to serve on the Judicial Service Commission in April 2017.  Appointed as a judge in 2022.

Judge David Makhoba, Gauteng Division

Judge Makhoba is a judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria. Prior to his appointment as a judge he joined the magistracy in 1995.  He was the President of the Association of Regional Magistrates of South Africa (ARMSA) since 2013.  He joined the magistracy in 1995 after working as a public prosecutor for four years.

Judge Brian A Mashile, Mpumalanga Division

Judge Mashile is a judge of the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court.  Prior to his appointment as a judge he was a Director of a law firm and formed Director and shareholder of disability Bagale Mining.  He practiced as an attorney for 22 years and was appointed as a judge in 2013.  Judge Mashile lost his vision after an attack by migrant labourers in Alexandra township in Gauteng just before he wrote his exams Grade 9, in 1979. 

Judge Andre Henry Petersen, North West Division

Judge Petersen is judge of the North West Division of the High Court.  In a legal career spanning nearly 30 years Judge Petersen climbed the ranks of the magistrates’ courts.  While completing part-time studies, he worked as an Administration Clerk in the Justice Department.  Rising to Public Prosecutor in 1995, Magistrate in 2000 and Regional Magistrate from 2010.  Appointed as a judge in 2021.

Judge Chantel Moira Jennifer Fortuin, Western Cape Division

Judge Fortuin is a judge of the Western Cape Division of the High Court.  She started her interaction in law as a para-legal during the early 80’s and coordinated the Paarl Advice Office in the Paarl Valley for a period of 10 years, providing basic legal service to members of the community.  She coordinated the Women’s Rights project at the Legal Resources Centre from 1998 to 2003.  She was permanently appointed as a judge in 2010.

Updated: 09 March 2026