Advisory Board Member: Advocate Sibonile Khoza

Sibonile Khoza is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and a member of both the Cape Bar and the Johannesburg Society of Advocates. He served as an Acting Judge of the Western Cape High Court in early 2025. With over two decades of legal, policy, and advocacy experience, Sibonile has contributed significantly to constitutional and socio-economic rights development in South Africa. He currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Dullah Omar Institute, and as a board member of the Molteno Brothers Trust and the Law and Governance Academy for Southern Africa (LAGASA).

Sibonile attainted LLB (2000) and LLM (2003) Degrees from the University of Natal (Durban), He also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Policy and Practice (2017, the University of Cape Town). Since joining the Bar in 2016, Sibonile has practised in constitutional, administrative, commercial, labour, environmental, civil, and sports law and holds chambers in both Sandton and Cape Town.

From 2008 to 2015, Sibonile served in the Western Cape Government’s Policy and Strategy Unit, initially as Director for Intergovernmental Relations and Constitutional Responsibilities, later becoming Senior Policy Analyst, and ultimately Acting Chief Director (Head of Policy). In these roles, he was instrumental in developing and overseeing the implementation of numerous provincial policies.

From 2002 to 2008, Sibonile worked at the Community Law Centre (now the Dullah Omar Institute) as Coordinator and Senior Researcher of the Socio-Economic Rights Project. His work included legal research, advocacy, teaching, and strategic litigation in landmark cases, including the seminal cases of Treatment Action Campaign; Modderklip; and City of Johannesburg v Olivier. Sibonile also served as Editor-in-Chief of the ESR Review and led the publication of the Socio-Economic Rights Manual.

Sibonile has always been passionate about public-interest, and social-impact work in South Africa. He began his legal career coordinating the KZN Street Law/Democracy for All Programme at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Natal, where he delivered constitutional and human rights education in schools and communities.

His experience in leadership and good governance is also extensive. Sibonile is Chairperson of the Western Cape Liquor Board and the Advisory Board of the Dullah Omar Institute. He also serves on the Boards of the Molteno Brothers Trust and LAGASA. Previously, he was Chair of the Board for the Western Cape Liquor Authority; Vice President of the UCT Appeal Tribunal (until 2024); Chair of Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre (until 2026); and served on the Boards of Isandla Institute (2009–2020), RAPCAN, and Street Law. He chaired the Basic Income Grant Coalition (2005–2007).

Sibonile has also done international legal consulting work and made various expert contributions in this capacity. He contributed to several UN and FAO frameworks, including the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food and the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR. Sibonile also consulted for the FAO, World Bank, and Medical Research Council, producing research on the justiciability of socio-economic rights.

Aside from his practical knowledge and experience, Sibonile has also published various academic chapters and peer-reviewed articles; and presented his work at national and international conferences on constitutional and socio-economic rights, food security, and development policy.

Khoza came to know Kohn at the Dullar Omar Institute Public Lecture to mark 30 years of democracy, and at which former Chief Justice Zondo was Keynote speaker. Kohn also lectured his daughter in Administrative Law in 2024 and he and Kohn remain deeply committed to solving the problems South Africa still faces with their shared passion for solutionist-thinking.