Zak Yacoob | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Constitutional Court | |
| In office 1 February 1998 – 31 January 2013 | |
| Appointed by | Nelson Mandela |
| Succeeded by | Mbuyiseli Madlanga |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Zakeria Mohammed Yacoob 3 March 1948 Durban, Natal Province Union of South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Spouse |
Anu Yacoob (m. 1970) |
| Children | 2, including Seena Yacoob |
| Alma mater | University of Durban-Westville |
Zakeria Mohammed "Zak" Yacoob (born 3 March 1948) is a retired South African judge who served in the Constitutional Court of South Africa from February 1998 to January 2013. He was appointed to the bench by Nelson Mandela and retired after serving the maximum 15-year term. Before he joined the bench, he was a practising advocate and an anti-apartheid activist.
Yacoob was born in Durban, where he was admitted as an advocate in 1973 and as Senior Counsel in 1991. He rose to prominence representing anti-apartheid activists in public law matters and criminal political trials. At the same time, he was himself active in the Natal Indian Congress, United Democratic Front, and other anti-apartheid organisations. In the 1990s, he was a technical adviser in the post-apartheid constitutional negotiations and a member of the inaugural Independent Electoral Commission before he was appointed to the Constitutional Court.
He is well known for drafting the Constitutional Court's judgement in Grootboom, a landmark socioeconomic rights matter. He is also a prominent disability rights activist, having been blind since infancy.