Capacity: Attorney
First admitted as an attorney: December 2007
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Black
Date of Birth: December 1971
Qualifications: B. Proc (1992) & LLB (1994)(UKZN), LLM (1999)(University College London)
Key judgments:
- Jantjies v. State (A273/19) [2020] ZAWCHC 32 (9 March 2020)
- Katz v. Welz and Another (22440/2014) [2021] ZAWCHC 76 (26 April 2021)
- Dalrymple v. Riach and Others (11920/2020) [2026] ZAWCHC 87 (2 March 2026)
Candidate Bio | Updated March 2026:
Adv Ncumisa Mayosi is an advocate at the Cape Bar.
Ms Mayosi has worked in law for almost two decades, primarily as an advocate with a concentration on administrative and constitutional law. Mayosi also served as Acting Judge of the Western Cape Division of the High Court for several terms between March 2015 to present. In total, she spent approximately 75 weeks on the Western Cape High Court bench, where she now seeks permanent appointment. This includes spending all four terms at the Court in 2025.
As an acting judge on the WCC, Mayosi has presided over both civil and criminal matters, including Jantjies v. State. In Jantjies, she upheld a criminal conviction for rape, which the Supreme Court of Appeal later set aside in Jantjies v State (532/2022) [2024] ZASCA 3 (15 January 2024). In its decision to uphold the appeal and set aside and replace the WCC order, the SCA criticised the WCC’s reasoning and the opinion authored by Mayosi, stating that the High Court failed to consider the evidence in its entirety and “neglect[ed] the fundamental principle in criminal proceedings that the State must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Additionally, Ms Mayosi presided over a high-profile defamation case in Katz v. Welz (2021), where she upheld a defamation claim brought by ENS Executive Leonard Katz against Noseweek Magazine editor Martin Welz over coverage accusing Katz of fraud and professional misconduct in liquidation proceedings. She rejected the publication’s defences, such as public interest and reasonable publication, awarded damages of R330 000, and criticised the defendants for persisting with a “vicious, unsubstantiated attack” on Katz’s reputation.
Beyond her service as an acting judge, Adv Mayosi has spent nearly 20 years as an advocate. Over the course of this time, she regards several cases surrounding the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into allegations of police inefficiency as some of the most significant work of her career. In Minister of Police v Premier of the Western Cape (2013), she represented the Premier in defending the constitutional authority to appoint a commission of inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha. Additionally, in Social Justice Coalition v Minister of Police (2022), Mayosi represented civil society organisations seeking the implementation of the Khayelitsha Commission’s recommendations regarding the fair allocation of policing resources.
Outside of her work as an advocate, Mayosi has a broad range of interests, which include serving on the Board of Cricket of South Africa (2023-Present) and the Eastern Cape Gambling Board (2011-2021), and working with the Indoni Dance, Arts and Leadership Academy, which taught dance and arts to at-risk youth (2015-2022).
Several complaints have been lodged against Mayosi in both her capacity as an advocate and an acting judge, though none of the complaints has resulted in disciplinary action. Most recently in 2025, a litigant alleged that while presiding as an acting judge, Mayosi demonstrated bias in favour of the state attorney and failed to provide reasons for her decision despite the complainant’s request, undermining the transparency of the legal process. However, the complaint was dismissed in line with the Judicial Conduct Commission’s standing position that it does not have jurisdiction to deal with complaints against acting judges. The Objections Committee of the JSC will determine whether this matter warrants further questioning in her interview.
If appointed, Ms Mayosi will bring years of diverse legal experience to the bench. Her career has been marked by a mix of accomplishments and challenges, including contested rulings, complaints, and conversely, success in paving the way for the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry.
April 2026 JSC Interview
After deliberations, the Judicial Service Commission has recommended Ms Ncumisa Thoko Mayosi for appointment to the Western Cape High Court.