Zukisa Tshiqi

Zukisa Laura Lumka Tshiqi (; born 11 January 1961) is a South African judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. She formerly served in the Supreme Court of Appeal from December 2009 until October 2019, when President Cyril Ramaphosa elevated her to the Constitutional Court. She was a practising attorney until she was first appointed to the bench in the Gauteng High Court in 2005.

Early life and education

Tshiqi was born on 11 January 1961 in Cefane, a rural area near Ngcobo in the Cape Province (now Eastern Cape). She was one of eight children and her father was a farmer. She attended Cefane Primary School and matriculated in 1979 at Blythswood High School in Nqamakwe.

Thereafter she went on the University of Fort Hare but was forced to drop out due to a lack of funds. She joined the bench on 25 July 2005. becoming the third black African woman on the court.

She served in the appellate court for nearly a decade. During that time, between November 2014 and May 2015, she served as an acting judge in the Constitutional Court of South Africa, filling the seat of Justice Chris Jafta. During her acting stint, she wrote two majority judgements for the Constitutional Court in the matters of City Power v Grinpal Energy Management Services and Coughlan N.O. v Road Accident Fund.

Shortly after the end of her acting stint, in June 2015, Tshiqi was one of five candidates, all women, whom the Judicial Service Commission shortlisted for possible permanent appointment to Justice Thembile Skweyiya's vacant seat on the Constitutional Court. According to the Daily Maverick, legal experts also felt that, among the five candidates, Tshiqi had "the weakest record in terms of the complexity of her judgements". President Zuma appointed Nonkosi Mhlantla to fill the vacancy.

Constitutional Court: 2019–present

In February 2019, the Judicial Service Commission shortlisted Tshiqi for one of two new vacancies at the Constitutional Court, this time created by the retirement of Justices Dikgang Moseneke and Bess Nkabinde. One of six candidates for the two vacancies, she was nominated by the Black Lawyers Association. She also rejected the view of the General Council of the Bar, contained in the Bar's submission on her application, that she had a relatively sparse judicial record. In September 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he had selected Tshiqi and Majiedt to join the Constitutional Court with effect from 1 October.

Personal life

She is married to F. V. Tshiqi, with whom she has three children. She is Christian.