ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathi Albertyn

Cathi Albertyn is the NRF South African Research Chair in Equality, Law and Social Justice at the School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

POSTS BY Cathi Albertyn

11 August 2025

Cathi Albertyn

Weaponising Gender in South Africa’s Chief Justice Appointment

Ros Dixon argues that “[p]lacing women in high office reflects commitments to fairness, diversity and equality of opportunity. But it also creates opportunities for anti-feminist, would-be authoritarians to use women’s descriptive representation to advance and legitimate their own sexist, authoritarian projects”. The South African Judicial Services Commission’s interviews for the country’s Chief Justice in 2022 provide a fascinating example of this phenomenon in the context of political struggles around corruption and accountability in South Africa. Continue reading >>