WHILE the Nobel Peace Prize is a definite highlight and outlier compared to the other accolades achieved by former Clairwood resident Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, 85, the jurist has made a career out of breaking down walls for people of colour and women.

Also read: Former Clairwood resident wins Nobel Peace Prize

Pillay was announced as the 125th recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo on October 9. The historic win also made her the first South African woman to receive the award. For Pillay the criteria in which she won the award was more impactful than the award itself.

Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chairperson of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said that Pillay has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, were prosecuted. She recently served as chairperson of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 2021 to 2025.

The upbringing

Like most Indian South Africans, Pillay was a descendent of indentured labourers who were brought in from India to work on the sugarcane plantations. In fact it was Pillay’s grandparent who arrived by ship. Pillay was born on September 23, 1941 in Clairwood and was one of eighth children.

Pillay’s father worked as a bus driver and additionally did fishing jobs to bring in extra money.

Education

While celebrating and researching Pillay’s win, acting principal of Durban South Primary School Burton Jaganathan learnt that Pillay actually attended the Clairwood Primary School in 1947. Jaganathan said it was a proud moment to see what levels their learners can reach.

“It shows the rich pioneering history of Clairwood, and Durban South Primary, which gave rise to agents of change who possessed humility, a fighting spirit for justice and humbleness. As an all girls school we are inspired that a woman of calibre rose from our foundations and will continue to give rise to outstanding women leaders in society and the world,” he said.

Also read: Professor wins UKZN Teachers’ Award

Education remained a very important part in the Pillay household. She was able to attend university through scholarships and the support of members in the community. In 1965 she obtained her LLB degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (then known as University of Natal).

A voice for all

After getting her degree, Pillay struggled to find work as law firms would repeatedly reject her as no “white secretary would take orders from an Indian lawyer” at the time, which led to her opening her own law practice in 1967. Pillay helped to provide legal assistance to anti-apartheid activists and political detainees.

Notable cases she dealt with included, in 1973, obtaining legal representation for prisoners on Robben Island, and co-founding the Advice Desk for the Abused (then known as the Advice Desk for Abused Women).

In 1995 after spending years helping fight apartheid and also furthering her studies, Pillay was appointed acting judge in the South African High Court, and was elected a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This was a breakout moment in Pillay’s career as she served four of the eight years as president and brought to the forefront the legal philosophy of rape as genocide.

The many accolades of Pillay

Pillay has built quite the portfolio with accolades dating back as early as 1960. Here are some of her notable accolades:

• She is the fifth South African Nobel Peace Prize recipient joining the ranks of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• She was the first Indian woman to open her own law practice in KZN in 1967
• The first South African to obtain a Master of Law and a Doctor of Juridical Science from Harvard University in the US
• The first non-white female judge in SA
• Served as the fifth United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014 before becoming an ad hoc judge on the International Court of Justice
• Co-founded Equality Now, an international women’s rights organisation that deals with issues relating to children detainees, victims of torture and domestic violence.
• In 2009, Forbes ranked her the 64th most powerful woman in the world

Pillay will officially accept the award in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in which the awards are named after.

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