Retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, by the University of Fort Hare in recognition of his contribution to constitutionalism, human rights and the legal profession.
Madlanga received the honorary degree during the university’s Spring Graduation ceremony in Alice on 2 October 2026. The recognition marks his third honorary doctorate from a South African university, following honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Walter Sisulu University and Rhodes University.
The University of Fort Hare said the award recognises Madlanga’s contribution to constitutionalism, human rights and the law in South Africa and internationally. His career has spanned the judiciary, legal academia and public service, including 17 years on the Bench before his retirement from the Constitutional Court in July 2025.
Madlanga’s association with Fort Hare extends beyond the honorary degree. He previously taught at the university and, in August 2026, the Faculty of Law launched the Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga International Moot Court Competition in his honour.
The competition forms part of the university’s efforts to strengthen legal education and provide students with opportunities to develop their advocacy and legal reasoning skills.
Speaking at his honorary doctorate ceremony, Madlanga focused on the role of universities in society rather than delivering a speech centred on his own legal career.
He described universities as possessing a “quiet power” and argued that their influence should be measured not only by what happens within their campuses, but also by what graduates go on to contribute to society.
Madlanga also challenged perceptions about historically disadvantaged universities and emphasised the importance of creating conditions in which academic talent can flourish.
His career has reflected the intersection between legal education and public service.
Born and raised in Njijini in the Eastern Cape, Madlanga studied law at the then University of Transkei, where he received the Juta Prize for the best law student in 1981. He later obtained an LLB from Rhodes University and an LLM in Human Rights and Constitutional Law, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in the United States.
He went on to practise as an advocate before entering the judiciary. In 1996, he was appointed to the Mthatha High Court, becoming South Africa’s youngest judge at the time. His judicial career subsequently included appointments to the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Competition Appeal Court and ultimately the Constitutional Court.
Beyond the Bench, Madlanga has maintained a strong connection to legal education. He has lectured and served as a visiting professor at universities in South Africa and the United States and was the inaugural editor of the South African Judicial Education Journal. He also held the Clynes Chair at Notre Dame, a position reserved for distinguished US and international legal scholars.
Since leaving the Constitutional Court, Madlanga has taken on another prominent public role. He currently chairs the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of criminality, corruption and political interference within South Africa’s criminal justice system.
The commission, established following allegations concerning the infiltration of the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates, has become one of the country’s most closely watched public inquiries.
For Fort Hare, Madlanga’s honorary doctorate therefore recognises a career extending beyond his judicial decisions. It acknowledges his contribution to legal scholarship, constitutionalism, legal education and public service, while also reinforcing the university’s connection with a jurist whose career has been closely tied to the Eastern Cape and to the development of South Africa’s constitutional order.
