# President Cyril Ramaphosa says former KwaZulu-Natal judge president, Achmat Jappie, was a longstanding champion of justice in South Africa, through his rich contributions to jurisprudence. He passed away yesterday. Jappie was appointed to the bench in 1998 and was deputy judge president before he became head of the KwaZulu-Natal courts from 2015 until his retirement in 2021. Ramaphosa says that during his 28 years as a judge, Justice Jappie entrenched the rule of law and ensured that the law protected the interests and dignity of those who deserved relief.
Ramaphosa pays tribute to former KZN judge president Achmat Jappie