Raymond Zondo
Raymond Mnyamezeli Mlungisi Zondo (born 4 May 1960, Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal) served as South Africa’s Chief Justice from 1 April 2022 to 31 August 2024. He is best known as the presiding officer of the Zondo Commission — the largest judicial inquiry into corruption in South African history — and for the Constitutional Court ruling that sent former president Jacob Zuma to prison for contempt.
Early career: One of nine children, Zondo put himself through high school (St Mary’s Seminary, Ixopo) and university on merit bursaries. He holds a B.Iuris (University of Zululand), LLB (University of KwaZulu-Natal), and three LLMs from UNISA (labour law cum laude, commercial law, patent law). He completed articles of clerkship under Victoria Mxenge in Durban — a prominent anti-apartheid lawyer later murdered by apartheid operatives in 1985. He was admitted as an attorney in 1989 and practised at Mathe and Zondo Inc, specialising in labour law. Between 1991 and 1992 he served on two committees of the Goldstone Commission investigating political violence in mines and on the KZN South Coast. In 1994 he was a member of the Ministerial Task Team that drafted the Labour Relations Bill, which became the Labour Relations Act 1995. He was the first chairperson of the CCMA Governing Body (1996), then appointed to the Labour Court in 1997 and served as Judge President of the Labour Court and Labour Appeals Court from 2000 to 2010.
Constitutional Court: Acting judge November 2011 – May 2012; permanent judge 1 September 2012. Deputy Chief Justice from 1 June 2017, replacing Justice Dikgang Moseneke.
State Capture Commission: Thuli Madonsela’s “State of Capture” report (2 November 2016) directed that the Chief Justice — not the implicated President — should select the presiding judge for the judicial commission. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng selected Zondo; President Zuma proclaimed the commission by proclamation in January 2018. The Commission heard over 300 witnesses across 432 sitting days, documenting the systematic capture of Eskom, Transnet, South African Airways (SAA), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), State Security Agency (SSA), PRASA (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) and other institutions by the Gupta Family, associates of Jacob Zuma and various private sector actors. Final reports were delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa in six parts between January and June 2022. The reports implicated 1,438 persons and entities, and made prosecution recommendations including against Zuma, former ministers, and Gupta associates.
In 2021, Zondo also presided over the Constitutional Court contempt proceedings against Zuma for refusing to appear before the commission. The Court ruled unanimously that Zuma was in contempt and sentenced him to 15 months’ imprisonment — Zuma was imprisoned on 7 July 2021.
Chief Justice: President Ramaphosa appointed Zondo Chief Justice on 10 March 2022, effective 1 April 2022. He retired 31 August 2024 on completing his non-renewable 12-year Constitutional Court term. Zondo was replaced by Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, appointed by Ramaphosa, who became the first black woman to serve as Chief Justice from 1 September 2024. Zondo wrote more than 200 judgments and is regarded as one of the most consequential figures in the development of South African labour law and post-apartheid constitutionalism.
Connections
- Zondo Commission — presided as chair; documented state capture across all major SOEs and state institutions
- Jacob Zuma — subject of the Commission; held in contempt by Constitutional Court under Zondo; imprisoned 2021
- Thuli Madonsela — her “State of Capture” directed CJ to select commission chair; Zondo was that chair
- Cyril Ramaphosa — appointed Zondo Chief Justice; had established the commission implementing Madonsela’s recommendation; implicated in some Zondo findings (Bosasa, Eskom) but not referred for prosecution
- Gupta Family — primary subject of Commission’s SOE capture findings