SAHRC Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi Appointed Chair of UN Racial Justice Expert Mechanism

• The UN Human Rights Council President appointed Tshepo Madlingozi to lead the International Independent Expert Mechanism on racial justice in law enforcement
• Madlingozi, a South African Human Rights Commission member, succeeds Ghana’s Akua Kuenyehia, who resigned from the role in February 2026
• His background includes over 13 years representing more than 85,000 apartheid-era victims and academic posts at several universities

SOUTH AFRICA — South African legal scholar and human rights advocate Tshepo Madlingozi has been appointed Chair of the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (EMLER), following a decision by the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ambassador Sidharto R. Suryodipuro.

The appointment was announced on 11 November on X and places Madlingozi at the head of one of the UN’s key bodies tasked with addressing racial discrimination in policing and law enforcement globally.

Madlingozi takes over from Ghanaian predecessor

Madlingozi fills the vacancy left by Akua Kuenyehia of Ghana, who stepped down both as a member and as Chair on 9 February 2026. Kuenyehia had originally taken up the position on 15 March 2024.

According to the UN Human Rights Council, Madlingozi currently serves as a Commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission. He holds Master’s degrees in both sociology and law, as well as a doctoral degree in law. His academic career has spanned several institutions, including the University of Pretoria, where he lectured in jurisprudence, and the University of the Witwatersrand, where he led the Centre for Applied Legal Studies.

He presently holds academic posts at Stellenbosch University, Nelson Mandela University, and Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He also served as faculty for the Vienna Master of Arts in Applied Human Rights.

Decades of human rights work

Before his current roles, Madlingozi dedicated more than 13 years to the Khulumani Support Group, serving as national advocacy coordinator and board member. The organisation represents over 85,000 survivors and victims of human rights abuses committed during the apartheid era in South Africa.

His international credentials include consultancy research conducted for both the Pan-African Parliament and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, focusing on global standards relating to racism and xenophobia.

Madlingozi’s appointment signals continued recognition of South African expertise in international human rights structures at the UN level.

Read the statement on X here:

SA-born Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Navi Pillay, the South African jurist named the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her work advancing peace and international law.

Born in Durban under apartheid, Pillay went on to defend Nelson Mandela and serve on some of the world’s most prominent courts.

Source: Briefly News