By Kgomotso Ramotsho
Acting Deputy Chief Justice, Sisi Khampepe, has learned with sadness of the passing of Zambian Chief Justice Irene Chirwa Mambilima who passed away on 20 June 2021 in Cairo, Egypt while on an official tour of that country. In a statement released by the Office of the Chief Justice, the Acting Chief Justice extended condolences on behalf of the South African Judiciary to the Zambian Judiciary.
Chief Justice Mambilima was the first woman to be appointed as Chief Justice in Zambia in 2015. The statement added that Chief Justice Mambilima has been heralded as a trailblazer and beacon, not only for women, but for the rule of law on the African continent. She served as a Sessional Judge of the Supreme Court of Gambia. She also sat on the International Board of the International Association of Women Judges, as a Director of the African Region.
Her many roles also including her serving as the Electoral Commission of Zambia. She presided over the 2006 and 2011 general elections and the January 2015 Presidential by-elections.
Kgomotso Ramotsho Cert Journ (Boston) Cert Photography (Vega) is the news reporter at De Rebus.
