Capacity: Judge
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: African
First appointment: Mpumulanga High Court | April 2021
Key judgments:
(1) Nkuna v Minister of Police (627/2018) [2019] ZAMPMBHC 5 (15 October 2019);
(2) Nkuna v S (A62/2012) [2013] ZAGPPHC 111; 2013 (2) SACR 541 (GNP);
(3) P v P (34959/2015) [2016] ZAGPJHC 102 (13 May 2016);
(4) Rafutho v S ((A288/2016) [2017] ZAGPJHC 36 (27 February 2017)
Candidate Bio:
Mr. Ratshibvumo is passionate about helping the community through the law. As a student, volunteered his legal services, giving legal advice to the poor community in and around Thohoyandou in Limpopo. He was a lecturer at the University of Venda before becoming a public prosecutor, later a magistrate, and finally a regional magistrate, a position that he still holds today.
Mr. Ratshibvumo holds a B Juris (1995) and LLB (1999) both from the University of Venda. He also holds an LLM (Cum Laude) from the University of Johannesburg. He is a member of the Association for Regional Magistrates (ARMSA). He was a member of the Judicial Officers’ Association(“JOASA”) where he served as the president, vice president and secretary- Gauteng.
He was first appointed as an acting judge in 2013 in the North and South Gauteng High Courts. In an interesting judgment, N v Minister of Police, he held that the Minister of Police could not be held vicariously liable for the actions of a police officer who was off duty, not wearing a police uniform, and not driving a marked police car.
Mr. Ratshibvumo is a well-published author and has presented a number of his papers at national conferences and in different countries in Africa. In addition to his legal prowess, he is a webmaster and was responsible for designing and updating JOASA and ARMSA websites from 2008-2018.
April 2021 Interview:
Mr Ratshibvumo’s interview was successful. The JSC has recommended him for appointment to the Mpumulanga Division of the High Court
