Accomplished jurist Dire Tladi has made history with his appointment as a permanent judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Tladi becomes the first South African to serve as a permanent judge of the ICJ, widely known as the World Court.
At 48, Tladi is also among the youngest permanent judges to be elected to this court. The ICJ is based in The Hague, Netherlands.
The announcement was made on Thursday by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
In a previous interview with Sunday World, Tladi who is from Mahikeng, said his appointment to serve as permanent judge at the ICJ would be the “world cup” of his law career.
“Tennis stars dream of Wimbledon; footballers dream of the Champions League and the World Cup. For me it is the IJC,” he said.
Tladi has been serving as member of the UN’s International Law Commission from 2012 until last year. He contested the post with four other Africa candidates who were vying for the one seat of three seats for Africa. The seat’s availability is made possible by the departure of Morocco’s Mohamed Bennouna in 2024. His term at the ICJ ends in February.
Five new vacancies at World Court
In total, five vacancies for judges will open in February as four other judges leave. These are Joan Donoghue of the United States, who is the current president of the court. Kirill Gevorgian of Russia, currently the court’s vice-president. Jamaica’s Patrick Robinson and Hilary Charlesworth of Australia.
The ICJ comprises a total of 15 judges elected by UN’s General Assembly and the Security Council for nine-year terms. It plays a crucial role in settling legal disputes between nations in accordance with international law.
The ICJ elections were held at the UN headquarters in New York, in the US.
Tladi has a PhD in in law. He worked for South Africa’s department of international relations and cooperation from 2006 to 2014. He the principal state law adviser and a legal adviser to the South African Permanent Mission.
Tladi’s is the first South African to serve as a permanent judge in the history of the 78-year court and the second to have been nominated after Judge John Dugard’s unsuccessful campaign for the permanent judge position in the early 2000s.
South Africa has a very good track record of running and being voted to be part of major multilateral institutions.
In May this year, advocate Thembile Elphus Joyini was appointed to serve as judge for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
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