Capacity: Advocate
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: African
Date of Birth: N/A
Qualifications: B.Proc (1995)(University of Limpopo), LLB (2001)(Vista University)
Key judgments:
- Mokoena v S (A117/2016) [2024] ZAGPPHC 52 (08 January 2024)
- MacNeil Plastics (Pty) Ltd v Van der Heerver NO and others [2023] JOL 62903 (GP)
- Walters and Another v S, Case No: A83/2022 [2022] ZAGPPHC (24 November 2022)
- S v Obono, Case No: CC65/2020 ZAGPPHC 889 (26 April 2021)
Candidate Bio | Updated August 2025
Adv. Keitumetse Johanna Mogale-Makinta, SC is an advocate and Senior Counsel for the Republic of South Africa.
Mogale-Makinta is a distinguished legal practitioner with a career spanning nearly three decades of impactful advocacy, judicial work, and public service.
Mogale-Makinta’s legal career began as a Public Prosecutor, working as part of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from 1998-2002. She then transitioned into a role as a State Advocate from 2003-2005, where she quickly rose to the title of Senior State Advocate in 2006. In 2007 Mogale-Makinta served as an Acting Magistrate in the Johannesburg Family Court and the Garankuwa Magistrates Court. She held this position until 2010, at which point she transitioned to her current role as an Advocate.
Appointed as Senior Counsel in February of 2024 in recognition of her exemplary skill and integrity, she has consistently demonstrated excellence in the fields of criminal law, family law and constitutional law, all of which she handles regularly as part of her work as Senior Counsel. Her legal journey reflects a commitment to the principles of justice, equality, and the rule of law.
Adv. Mogale-Makinta’s tenure as an acting judge, which began in 2020, in various divisions of the High Court has further expanded her influence in shaping jurisprudence. Mogale-Makinta has sat on various benches of various High Court divisions, totaling ninety-six weeks of service. This includes many stretches in the Gauteng Division of the High Court (both the Johannesburg and Pretoria Courts) as well as the Limpopo Division of the High Court (Polokwane). She has presided over cases involving constitutional rights, administrative fairness, commercial disputes, and socio-economic justice, authoring judgments that have contributed meaningfully to South Africa’s legal landscape.
Mogale-Makinta’s dedication to justice as a guiding principle in law is on full display in the Mokoena case, wherein she affirmed the appeal court’s power to mero motu release an appellant after a review of the appeals record under section 173 of the Constitution, but only where the relevant party is party to the proceedings. She rooted this interpretation of s173 in the Court’s obligation to balance the interests of justice with its obligation to respect the broader rule of law and not overreach. This case shows that Mogale-Makinta has experience and skill with balancing competing interests with tact.
Her achievements extend beyond the courtroom. She has played an active role in professional bodies, mentoring young advocates and contributing to the transformation and diversification of the legal profession. She has been recognised by her peers for her leadership and unwavering dedication to justice. Mogale-Makinta has served as a mentor to pupil advocates in the years 2018-2019 and from 2023-2025. She has served as a Pro-forma prosecutor, tackling disciplinary issues within her own profession and ensuring the ongoing integrity of her bar Association. Advocate Mogale-Makinta has also served as a mentor for young women through her involvement with the Church Square Bar Association, SAC-IAWJ and the Pan African Adolescent Girl’s Movement, which has allowed her to play an active leadership role in fostering the next generations of legal scholars.
Adv. Mogale-Makinta’s application to the Judicial Service Commission reflects her readiness to bring her wealth of experience, sound legal acumen, and principled approach to a permanent judicial appointment, where she aims to further strengthen the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary.
October 2025 JSC Interview
October 2021 JSC Interview
Interview of Adv K J Mogale by the JSC, October 2025, for a position on the Gauteng Division of the High Court.
Adv Mogale’s application was unsuccessful. She was not nominated for appointment.
Interview of Adv K J Mogale by the JSC, October 2021, for a position on the Gauteng Division of the High Court.
Adv Mogale’s application was unsuccessful. She was not nominated for appointment.