Mandela Makaula

Mandela Makaula (born 6 May 1964) is a South African judge who is currently serving in the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa. He joined the bench in 2010 after two decades in practice as an attorney and magistrate in the Eastern Cape. He was an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2022.

Early life and education Makaula was born on 6 May 1964 in KwaThema, a township outside Springs in the former Transvaal Province. However, he matriculated at Freemantle Boys School in Lady Frere in the Cape Province. which President Jacob Zuma confirmed the following month.

Among other prominent matters, Makaula presided in the trial of Timothy Omotoso, a Nigerian televangelist who was accused of human trafficking. The trial was delayed for a lengthy period after Makaula declined to recuse himself: the defendant appealed that decision unsuccessfully in the Supreme Court of Appeal and then in the Constitutional Court. However, while the appeal was pending before the Constitutional Court, Makaula announced that he would recuse himself from the matter. He explained that his wife ran a guesthouse where state witnesses had been accommodated and that he wished to avoid any "perceived bias in the future".

He was an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal from January to September 2022.

Nominations for elevation In October 2015, Makaula interviewed unsuccessfully for the position of Deputy Judge President of the Eastern Cape Division. One-and-a-half years later, in April 2016, he interviewed for the more senior position of Judge President, but his interview was waylaid by criticism of his delays in delivering judgements. After those interviews, the Judicial Service Commission declined to recommend any of the four candidates for appointment, and Selby Mbenenge was ultimately appointed later that year.

In July 2022, the Judicial Service Commission announced that Makaula was one of ten candidates who had been shortlisted for five vacancies on the Supreme Court of Appeal bench. During his interview in October, Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya pressed him at length about delays in his courtroom and the quality of his writing. He was not recommended for elevation.

Personal life He is married to Khumsha Makaula, with whom he has two children.