By Kouthar Sambo

Professor Dire Tladi of the University of Pretoria was sworn in on Tuesday following his appointment as South Africa’s inaugural permanent judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He will serve in the ICJ for the next nine years and started his term a few weeks after South Africa won its case against Israel in the ICJ.

The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council elected him in November last year. This comes after South Africa filed its application in the ICJ on 29 December following the Cabinet’s decision at its meeting that they will take the escalation of the aggression in Gaza to the top UN court. 

The ICJ has since delivered its Order stating that Israel must immediately implement a set of provisional measures to prevent any further acts leading to genocide in Gaza and take effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence relating to acts of genocide.

Speaking on VOC’s DriveTime show on Tuesday, the Research and Advocacy Officer at Judges Matter Mbekezeli Benjamin welcomed the appointment and highlighted the significance of this move for South Africa.

“Tladi is an internationally renowned expert on international law, he is known for his skill and knowledge of international law. Because he is a law professor, he also has academic experience but he has an advantage of practical experience,” said Benjamin.

“He was also the Chief legal advisor of the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) and he was the head of the legal team at the United Nations (UN) for South Africa in New York. He has also been a Special Rapporteur for the International Law Commission, and so, he comes with a huge track record as a lawyer, academic, and as an expert in the international arena for a long time,” detailed Benjamin. 

Certain global challenges require the cooperation of different countries, explained Benjamin, and so they rely on international legal law to resolve those issues. 

Benjamin highlighted climate change as a huge upcoming issue, and the ICJ will play a relevant role in these issues and international conflict.

“Internationally, South African lawyers have always punched above their weight as its lawyers have played some crucial roles in various international matters. With Professor Tladi, it is another recognition of their excellence that South African lawyers are known by,” maintained Benjamin. 

Benjamin further cited that Tladi’s position as judge in the ICJ requires him to see each case objectively, so there will be times he will disagree with the view held by the South African government. 

“He has already indicated that he will take a more progressive view of international law to ensure that the most vulnerable people in the world can benefit from the law and international legal government,” reiterated Benjamin.  

Photo: DIRCO/Facebook