Bongani Christopher Majola

Bongani Majola did his studies in law at the University of Zululand and obtained a Public Service Law Diploma in 1975, a Public Service Senior Law Certificate in 1977 and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1982.{{cite web|title=Public Submission to Parliament Regarding Nominated and Applied Candidates|url=http://www.corruptionwatch.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Public-submission-to-Parliament-regarding-nominated-and-applied-candidates_V2.pdf|website=Corruption Watch|accessdate=26 July 2016}} From 1982 to 1988 he was a senior lecturer and the Associate Professor of Law at the University of Bophuthatswana where he was responsible for teaching law courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Majola then became a professor and the dean of the law faculty at the University of the North from 1989 to 1996.{{cite book|last1=Charles|first1=Majinge|title=Rule of Law Through Human Rights and International Criminal Justice: Essays in Honour of Adama Dieng|date=2015|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=9781443884525|page=558|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mp_WCgAAQBAJ&dq=bongani+majola&pg=PA558|accessdate=26 July 2016}}

Majola obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. In 1990 he spent time at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., as a visiting professor, and in 1993/4 he was at Yale University as a research fellow.{{cite web|title=Bongani Majola|url=http://ictr-archive09.library.cornell.edu/ENGLISH/factsheets/majola.html|website=ICTR Archive of Press Releases|accessdate=26 July 2016}}

Majola's career began as an Administrative Clerk and Clerk of the Magistrate's Court from 1971 to 1974 in the Madadeni district in KwaZulu-Natal, where he conducted "mostly government clerical work including collection of revenue, population registration, writing reports and labour matters." His experience with criminal trials started in Madadeni when he was appointed the District Court Magistrate from 1977 to 1979, following which he was seconded to the Institute for Public Service Training at the University of Zululand as a magistrate and lecturer from 1979 to 1982 - which also coincided with his studies at the university. Majola served as a legal adviser to Theme Committee 3 of the South African Constitutional Assembly that was responsible for drafting the Constitution of South Africa in 1995.{{cite web|title=Bongani Majola|url=http://www.ictrcaselaw.org/ContentPage.aspx?cid=3203|website=ICTR Basic Documents and Case Law|accessdate=26 July 2016}}

After his academic career Majola moved to Johannesburg in 1996 where he was appointed the National Director of the Legal Resources Centre (LRC), which is a non-profit public interest law organisation that defends poor and marginalised people in South Africa.{{cite web|title=Home page|url=http://www.lrc.org.za/|website=Legal Resources Centre|accessdate=26 July 2016}} During his time at the LRC he was involved with the Treatment Action Campaign in 2002 in relation to the "constitutional provisions dealing with the right of access by poor people to medical [health] care." In December 2000 Majola was elected to the board of the South African arm of the Open Society Foundations by billionaire and philanthropist George Soros.{{cite news|title=Soros elects a new board for Open Society|url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/soros-elects-a-new-board-for-open-society-56404|accessdate=26 July 2016|work=IOL}} On the 21st anniversary of the LRC, Majola wrote an article about the significant contributions made by the LRC to the "development of a human rights jurisprudence and the strengthening of constitutional democracy" in South Africa.{{cite journal|last1=Bongani|first1=Majola|title=At least 21 reasons to celebrate the LRC's 21st birthday|journal=Advocate|date=August 2001|volume=14|issue=2|pages=27–31|url=http://www.sabar.co.za/law-journals/2001/august/2001-august-vol014-no2-pp27-31.pdf|accessdate=26 July 2016}}

In January 2003 Majola left the LRC to become the Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the UN ICTR headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania.{{cite web|title=Contact|url=http://www.unmict.org/en/contact|website=United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals|accessdate=26 July 2016}} His work included supporting the Chief Prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow in "the prosecution of suspects indicted for international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Rwandan genocide of 1994." In a report by the Institute of Security Studies on the investigation and prosecution of international crimes, Majola wrote an article on the work of the ICTR and the challenges pertaining to the prosecution of persons accused of "genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes".{{cite book|last1=du Plessis|first1=Max|last2=Louw|first2=Antoinette|title=The investigation and prosecution of 'core international crimes' and the role of the International Criminal Court in Africa|date=2007|publisher=Institute for Security Studies|pages=49–57|url=https://www.issafrica.org/uploads/ISSINVPROS.PDF|accessdate=26 July 2016}}

After 10 years as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the ICTR, Majola was appointed by Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, as the Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Registrar of the ICTR. His role as Registrar was to support the organs of the ICTR, which are the judges, the Chambers and the Office of the Prosecutor.{{cite web|title=Bongani Majola - Registrar, ICTR|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOFy2tIygpw|website=YouTube|accessdate=26 July 2016}} His duties also included being the head of the ICTR administration where he provided court management services, staff management, administrative support and Majola "handled related litigation within the UN internal justice system." Following the successful conclusion of the mandate of the ICTR and its subsequent closure in December 2015, Majola left his position as the Assistant Secretary-General.

On 2 December 2016 President Jacob Zuma appointed Majola as the chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission.{{cite news|last1=Magakoe|first1=Phill|title=Zuma appoints new Human Rights commissioners|url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/zuma-appoints-new-human-rights-commissioners-2095205|accessdate=16 January 2017|work=IOL|publisher=African News Agency|date=2 December 2016}} Majola's seven-year term commenced on 3 January 2017.

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Category:Living people

Category:Harvard Law School alumni

Category:University of Zululand alumni

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Category:Zulu people

Category:21st-century South African lawyers