Thokozile Mbatha

Yvonne Thokozile Mbatha (born 19 July 1960) is a South African judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, she was a judge of the KwaZulu-Natal High Court from June 2011 to June 2019. She was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court between August and December 2022.

Early life and education Mbatha was born on 19 July 1960 in Newcastle in the former Natal Province (present-day KwaZulu-Natal). She attended Inkamana High School in Vryheid from 1974 to 1976 and then St. Francis College in Mariannhill from 1977 until her matriculation in 1978. She completed her BProc at the University of Zululand in 1979; later, in 2021, she obtained a postgraduate diploma in maritime studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. and a legal advisor to the Newcastle Local Municipality from 2005 to 2010. she joined the bench on 1 June 2011. In October 2016, Mbatha sentenced them to lengthy prison sentences, including three life sentences. However, the convictions were overturned on appeal, with the appellate judges raising serious concerns about the quality of the evidence against the defendants; among other things, they noted that the prosecutor had himself admitted in argument that there was insufficient evidence to convict three of the men.

During her eight years on the High Court, Mbatha spent almost a full year as an acting judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal from December 2016 to November 2017. but her candidacy did not succeed. Much of the interview centred on Mbatha's sentencing decision in S v Ngubane. On that occasion, her interview was unusually brief – less than 20 minutes – and the Commission recommended her for appointment. After her appointment was confirmed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, she joined the Supreme Court of Appeal on 1 June 2019. She was an acting judge in the Constitutional Court between August and December 2022.