Tati Makgoka

Tati Moffat Makgoka (born 13 February 1968) 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.

Early life and education Makgoka was born on 13 February 1968 in Moletši outside Polokwane in the former Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo Province). He matriculated at Hwiti High School and went on to the University of the North, where he completed a BProc in 1992. Notable judgements handed down by Makgoka included a judgement confirming that Harmony Gold and other mining companies were obligated to rehabilitate environmental damage produced by corporate pollution. In October 2013, Makgoka ordered Legal Aid to provide legal representation at the Farlam Commission to mineworkers who had been injured or arrested during the Marikana massacre.

During his nearly nine years in the High Court, Makgoka was seconded to appellate courts three times. He was an acting judge in the Labour Appeal Court from June to November 2015 and in the Supreme Court of Appeal on two occasions, from June to November 2016 and then from October 2017 to May 2018. He also acted in the Constitutional Division of the Lesotho High Court in April 2015. The Judicial Service Commission recommended him for appointment, alongside Mahube Molemela and Ashton Schippers, and the trio joined the bench on 1 June 2018. '''

Between February and May 2023, Makgoka was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Public service Makgoka was highly involved in judicial education and training, including through the Legal Education Centre of the Black Lawyers Association, and he serves on the editorial committee of the South African Institute of Judicial Education Journal''.

Personal life Makgoka is a widower and has two children.