Daisy Molefe

Daisy Sekao Molefe (born 26 October 1957) is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Formerly a commercial lawyer, she was a judge of the Gauteng High Court from July 2013 until December 2022, when she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Early life and education Molefe was born on 26 October 1957 in Phokeng, a town outside Rustenberg; governed under Bophuthatswana during apartheid, Phokeng later became part of the North West Province. Molefe matriculated at Moroka High School in Thaba Nchu and studied law at the University of the North, where she completed a BProc in 1982 and an LLB in 1984.

During this period, Molefe developed a specialty in corporate governance: President Jacob Zuma confirmed her appointment the following month, and she joined the bench on 1 July.

During her nine years in Pretoria, Molefe's significant judgements included her 2019 ruling in favour of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in South African National Editors' Forum v EFF, in which the South African National Editors' Forum and five prominent journalists – Adriaan Basson of News24, Pauli van Wyk of the Daily Maverick, Ranjeni Munusamy of Tiso Blackstar, Barry Bateman of Eyewitness News, and Max du Preez of the Vrye Weekblad – attempted to interdict the EFF, its leader Julius Malema, and its supporters from harassing journalists on public and social media platforms. She also received media attention for a 2022 ruling in which she interdicted the Daily News from reporting on a leaked State Security Agency document.

While in Gauteng, Molefe served as an acting judge in the Land Claims Court between 2017 and 2020 (including as the court's acting judge president in 2019); as an acting judge in the Labour Appeal Court in 2021; and as an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal on three different occasions between June 2021 and September 2022. and acting President Xola Petse was critical of Molefe during the interview, saying that she was "consistently... not at court and no one knew your whereabouts" and that her draft judgements needed to be "knocked into good shape". Nonetheless, Molefe was one of five candidates whom the Judicial Service Commission recommended for appointment, and she joined the Supreme Court of Appeal on 1 December 2022.

Personal life She is married to Christopher Molefe and has two children.