NewStats: 3,265,495 , 8,186,960 topics. Date: Sunday, 15 June 2025 at 10:34 AM 6r3e6h

South Africa has filed an application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to institute proceedings against Israel . The application to the world court concerns alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The hearing is scheduled to be heard in The Hague next Thursday and Friday.

Great team to represent SA, say analysts.

International law experts are pleased with the team, saying the counsels representing South Africa are some of the best.

Wits University’s international law analyst Patrick Kadima viewed the legal team as an “A-team” with lawyers who have their own individual brilliance making the case more interesting.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, he said the team indicates government’s seriousness in taking on Israel at the ICJ.

“The senior counsel team is composed of brilliant lawyers, some of whom have worked on complex international law matters. For example, Prof Dugard is regarded by most of us as the father of international law in South Africa. He has contributed extensively to the field at home and abroad and I can boldly say his contribution is inestimable. His impact, both in the academy and in international organisations, speaks for itself,” he said.

Associate professor in public law at the University of Cape Town Prof Cathleen Powell said the team consists of some of the best local and international expertise in international law.

“This includes some superb counsel. I may be omitting some of the best examples, but Ngcukaitobi and Du Plessis are obvious candidates for this description. I think South Africa has assembled an extremely strong team. I am not sure which of them is responsible for the application submitted to the ICJ, but that shows a thorough, comprehensive approach with detailed knowledge and understanding of the relevant rules. It’s an excellent start,” she said.

Kadima also pointed out Du Plessis for his wide contribution to international law matters, which he found to be a perfect fit for the ICJ challenge. The junior counsels also have impressive experience, he said.

“On the externals, one notices the two counsels hail from chambers in Britain who are known to be leaders in international law matters and human rights matters. Prof Lowe is known to be an authoritative voice in international law circles, having argued complex matters before the ICJ and widely published on these issues.

“All in all, I don’t think there could be a better team than this, given the importance of the case. The papers filed in the court speak to the brilliance of the team. Fantastic.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_8lvoMRrKE?si=icnXcLv3HE2yZyFU

MEET THE TEAM:

1. John Dugard SC

Dugard, a former professor of law at the University of Witwatersrand and director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, is one of South Africa’s top international law advocates locally and internationally.

Since 2001 he has served as special rapporteur to the UN Commission on Human Rights on the Palestinian Territory and has been a member of the board of trustees of Law for Palestine since 2020.

2. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC

Ngcukaitobi was behind the application brought before the Constitutional Court to find Zuma in contempt of court for failing to testify before the state capture inquiry. The advocate was successful and Zuma became the first former head of state in democratic South Africa to be imprisoned.

3. Adila Hassim SC

Hassim, who was itted to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates in 2003, is also the co-founder of the anti-corruption organisation Corruption Watch and serves on its board.

During the inquest into the deaths of mental health patients at Life Esidimeni, Hassim represented the law centre Section 27 and the 44 families of the 144 deceased.

4. Tshidiso Ramogale

Ramogale completed his pupillage under the mentorship of senior counsel on the team Ngcukaitobi. He also worked as a clerk for justice Sisi Khampepe of the Constitutional Court and was a legal officer at the SAHRC.

He is a human rights lawyer who obtained his law degree from the University of Witswatersrand and, according to Harvard, his work includes securing the release of people who were unlawfully arrested by police, prevented unlawful evictions and protected the rights of the elderly and disabled.

5. Max Du Plessis SC

Du Plessis is an advocate d with the Thulamela Chambers, and for many years he was an associate fellow in international law at Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London.

As an international lawyer, he advises international organisations, government and non-government organisations and has appeared or advised on matters which are before the International Criminal Court (ICC), the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, the SADC Tribunal and the East African Court of Justice.

6. Sarah Pudifin-Jones

Sarah Pudifin-Jones, a summa cum laude law graduate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, was among the top law students at the university and completed her LLM and MPhil at Cambridge University.

She has been involved in high-profile matters before the Constitutional Court including ing Du Plessis in an application to order Zuma to comply with and implement the findings and remedial action in the public protector's report on his homestead in Nkandla.

7. Lerato Zikalala

Zikalala is a Rhodes University alumni where she obtained her LLB degree before completing her LLM at the University of Notre Dame, specialising in international human rights law.

Zikalala sits on the board of Lawyers against Abuse, an organisation that fills the gap between the law and the way it is experienced by victims of gender-based violence.

TWO EXTERNAL ADVOCATES:

8. Vaughan Lowe KC

Lowe is a practising advocate at the Essex court chambers in the UK, specialising mainly in international law, with cases heard before the ICJ and the European Court of Justice and courts in England and Hong Kong, among many others. He has sat as an acting judge on the European Court of Human Rights and served as the nominated UK judge on the European Nuclear Energy Tribunal.

8. Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC

Words including “compelling”, “persuasive” and “tactically brilliant” are used by the UK legal fraternity to describe Ní Ghrálaigh, who is a senior advocate at the bars of Ireland, England and Wales. She is also on the ICC’s list of counsel and has extensive experience in human rights law, public international law, criminal law and public law.

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Waste of resource if you ask me

Xenophobic country


It's coming home ; unrest I mean... 😅

christejames:
Xenophobic country

It's coming home ; unrest I mean... 😅

Keep wailing from the sidelines. Israel's gonna see flames next week Thursday and Friday.

Holocaust wailers will soon themselves be charged with genocide. What an embarrassment!

MzansiCoolio:


Keep wailing from the sidelines. Israel's gonna see flames next week Thursday and Friday.

😂 😂 😂 😂 🤣🤣🤣





Hilarious country

Unserious people.

christejames:


😂 😂 😂 😂 🤣🤣🤣

Hilarious country

You mean country of action and not lip service. Stay tuned next weekend as i post that former holocaust victims are now charged with genocide. Bring stacks of tissues coz your wailing will be non-stop and infinitely continuous.

Waste of time, resources & energy.

jamesversion:
Waste of time, resources & energy.

Keep wailing.

MzansiCoolio:


Keep wailing from the sidelines. Israel's gonna see flames next week Thursday and Friday.

Holocaust wailers will soon themselves be charged with genocide. What an embarrassment!

What flame...!!?
The joke is on you people when the Islamist bombs begins to explode in Johannesburg and Pretoria...!!

Your stupidity by then would be cured...!!

You can get some clue from the Mozambicans ..!!

Never seen people as stupid and foolish as the South Africans..!!

You think you know, want to be politically correct or get back at Israel cos of Apartheid by been stupid, well its your call..when it starts I hope you guys won't cry to UN...!!

The late Mandela real turned their brains before ing away.
Those whites should wash off their hands off those Zulus and their nonsense.

DabuIIIT:
The late Mandela real turned their brains before ing away.
Those whites should wash off their hands off those Zulus and their nonsense.

The same whites who'll be keenly representing SA against Israel? Keep wailing, white worshipper! Where were you when Israel was busy ing apartheid in SA and the Palestinians were ing the 'Zulus'? Comment on things you know or forever limit yourself to the romance section.

Floky215:


What flame...!!?
The joke is on you people when the Islamist bombs begins to explode in Johannesburg and Pretoria...!!

Your stupidity by then would be cured...!!

You can get some clue from the Mozambicans ..!!

Never seen people as stupid and foolish as the South Africans..!!

You think you know, want to be politically correct or get back at Israel cos of Apartheid by been stupid, well its your call..when it starts I hope you guys won't cry to UN...!!

Wishful thinking. SA has a large muslim population that has lived peacefully with all of us. Not our fault you continuously mismanage your affairs in Nigeria to an extent that you created conditions fertile for Boko Haram and ISIS. Now that's "stupidity and foolishness". Your problem, not ours. Keep wailing.

MzansiCoolio:


Keep wailing.

The only person wailing unnecessarily here is You. Posting pictures that won't cut a chase in the reality of what We have at hand.

The Israeli government sounded it as clear as the sound of a bell that They would sure do anything to protect and defend themselves from senseless attackers,now they are living up to their promise You are wailing bitterly.

Don't go throwing bomb at them and killing people senselessly next time.

ablejesus26:


The only person wailing unnecessarily here is You. Posting pictures that won't cut a chase in the reality of what We have at hand.

The Israeli government sounded it as clear as the sound of a bell that They would sure do anything to protect and defend themselves from senseless attackers,now they are living up to their promise You are wailing bitterly.

Don't go throwing bomb at them and killing people senselessly next time.

And we promised we'll get Israel charged with genocide🇿🇦 - something that will stain them forever (and we're living up to that promise). Israel signed up to international treaties including those related to war and not implementing collective punishment on innocent people. A whole 2 million people in the Gaza strip targeted indiscriminately and you think thats ok? No more crying acting as holocaust victims when you yourself are responsible for genocide🇮🇱. The tables have turned.

I won't be surprise if a bomb goes up in SA

Continue to romance with islamists

Israel should just drop a little bomb in southafrica..

Alot of terrorists in southafrica

Death to all head slamming mohammadian terrorists and their ers

Xenophobic south African should relocate all Palestinians to their vast empty land mass, after 20yrs we would check something.

Shinjawestern:

Israel should just drop a little bomb in southafrica..

Alot of terrorists in southafrica

Death to all head slamming mohammadian terrorists and their ers

While you're scared of Israel, we're not.

MzansiCoolio:


The same whites who'll be keenly representing SA against Israel? Keep wailing, white worshipper! Where were you when Israel was busy ing apartheid in SA and the Palestinians were ing the 'Zulus'? Comment on things you know or forever limit yourself to the romance section.

KwaZULU!!!

MzansiCoolio:


And we promised we'll get Israel charged with genocide🇿🇦 - something that will stain them forever (and we're living up to that promise). Israel signed up to international treaties including those related to war and not implementing collective punishment on innocent people. A whole 2 million people in the Gaza strip targeted indiscriminately and you think thats ok? No more crying acting as holocaust victims when you yourself are responsible for genocide🇮🇱. The tables have turned.

Why don't you charge Russia for what they're doing in Ukraine? Pussies.

jamesversion:


Why don't you charge Russia for what they're doing in Ukraine? Pussies.

We wanna start with your darling Israel, you said they were untouchable. Well look who's crying now. Russia is our buddy, they were with us during the struggle for our liberation - Israel was ing our oppression. It's payback time.

DabuIIIT:

KwaZULU!!!

Romance section material for real.

MzansiCoolio:


We wanna start with your darling Israel, you said they were untouchable. Well look who's crying now. Russia is our buddy, they were with us during the struggle for our liberation - Israel was ing our oppression. It's payback time.

Like I said earlier, this your pursuit is an exercise in futility.

Goodluck with it tho!

jamesversion:


Like I said earlier, this your pursuit is an exercise in futility.

Goodluck with it tho!

Since when are you a judge at the International Court of Justice? Stick to modelling bikinis on NL.

MzansiCoolio:


Since when are you a judge at the International Court of Justice? Stick to modelling bikinis on NL.

Modelling bikinis? You're mistaken me for your Dad.

MzansiCoolio RomanceMaterialZULU :


Romance section material for real.

DabulIIT, your brain power can only be compared to that of a mountain goat judging by the comments you've been leaving on this thread.

You belong in the romance section where jamesversion models his bikinis.

.

MzansiCoolio:


Wishful thinking. SA has a large muslim population that has lived peacefully with all of us. Not our fault you continuously mismanage your affairs in Nigeria to an extent that you created conditions fertile for Boko Haram and ISIS. Now that's "stupidity and foolishness". Your problem, not ours. Keep wailing.

You would never understand until they begin to attain majority or have a very significant population then the beast in them would begin to teach you people a big and very bitter lesson...!!


You have never experienced or witnessed their sword so it's cheaper for you to say..!!

I just sorry for you people, like I wrote..try and ask the Mozambicans about their experience with these people and educate yourself properly...!!