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South Africa’s Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize for lifelong fight for justice
South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law, marking a major milestone in a career spanning decades of legal advocacy, human rights work and international justice.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on Friday, 9 October, recognising Pillay’s contribution to strengthening international law and ensuring accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The committee described her as a person who, “with exceptional courage and integrity, has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order”.
The award comes at a time when international courts and human rights institutions face mounting political pressure over their efforts to hold states and powerful individuals accountable for alleged violations of international law.
From apartheid-era Durban to the legal profession
Born in Durban in 1941 to a family of Indian Tamil descent, Pillay grew up under apartheid, a system of institutionalised racial discrimination that denied millions of South Africans basic political and civil rights.
Her experiences of racial inequality shaped her legal career. In 1967, she established her own law practice in Natal, becoming the first woman to do so in the province. She represented anti-apartheid activists, challenged abuses of power and fought for the rights of political prisoners.
Among those whose struggle shaped the legal and political landscape of the country was Nelson Mandela, whom Pillay and other lawyers defended during the apartheid era.
In 1995, she became the first black woman appointed to South Africa’s High Court, a landmark achievement in a country emerging from decades of racial exclusion.
Her career subsequently expanded beyond South Africa, taking her into international tribunals responsible for addressing some of the most serious crimes committed during conflicts.
A landmark contribution to international criminal law
Pillay served as a judge and later president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was established to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 genocide.
During her time at the tribunal, she played an influential role in the landmark case against Jean-Paul Akayesu, a former Rwandan mayor convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The 1998 judgment established that rape and sexual violence could constitute acts of genocide when committed with the necessary intent to destroy a protected group. It also helped establish that direct and public incitement to genocide could be prosecuted as an international crime.
The ruling was a significant development in recognising sexual violence as a tool of genocide and strengthening the legal protections available to victims of mass atrocities.
Pillay later served as a judge at the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2008, before taking up the role of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which she held from 2008 to 2014.
Her work at the United Nations
As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Pillay advocated for equality, civil liberties and accountability for human rights abuses around the world.
She has continued to participate in international justice initiatives, including serving as chair of a UN commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel from 2021 to 2025.
The commission’s findings on Israel’s conduct in Gaza have drawn strong criticism from the Israeli government, which has rejected allegations of genocide. The issue remains a subject of intense international legal and political debate.
Pillay has also served as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in the case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar under the Genocide Convention, concerning allegations of genocide against the Rohingya people.
Her work has consistently focused on the principle that international law must apply to states and individuals, regardless of their political influence or power.
The Nobel Committee’s message
In announcing the prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted Pillay’s role in advancing an international system capable of prosecuting the most serious crimes.
The committee said her commitment to universal legal principles and her moral compass had remained constants throughout her career.
It also emphasised the importance of strengthening international legal institutions at a time when judges and courts face political attacks.
The recognition places Pillay among a distinguished group of South African Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Chief Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk, who jointly received the award in 1993.
A proud moment for South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated Pillay on the award, describing it as recognition of her contribution to peace and international law.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi also welcomed the achievement, saying it was a proud moment for South Africa and the African continent.
“By awarding her this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel committee has reaffirmed that the respect for international law, defence of human rights and creating a peaceful world are values worth fighting for, especially in the current global environment,” Kubayi said.
The award acknowledges Pillay’s contribution to the development of international criminal law and her efforts to ensure that victims of serious human rights violations have access to justice.
A legacy rooted in accountability
Pillay’s career reflects a journey from confronting racial injustice in apartheid South Africa to helping shape the international legal framework used to address genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Her Nobel Peace Prize reinforces the relationship between justice and lasting peace, recognising that accountability and respect for human rights are essential to preventing further abuses.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Oslo, Norway, on 10 December 2026.
Economy
The Scorpion Kings’ burgers are all sold out, but the Scorpion Kings Live are back tonight on SABC 1
Before DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small were filling FNB Stadium with Amapiano, there was the hustle – and for Maphorisa, part of that hustle involved food.
Long before the Scorpion Kings name became synonymous with some of South Africa’s biggest musical moments, Maphorisa was finding different ways to make money while pursuing his music career.
“I used to deejay on weekends and I opened a tuck-shop at home just to have a cash flow and at school I used to sell sweets and lollipops,” Maphorisa said.
He explained that the money helped him save for his first car and travel between Pretoria and Johannesburg while working towards his music career.
So, years later, seeing the producer put his name to a burger collaboration feels like a rather delicious full-circle moment.
The Scorpion Kings – Maphorisa and Kabza De Small – teamed up with RocoMamas in September for the limited-edition King’s Feast, a menu inspired by their personalities, their music and plenty of South African flavour.
The collaboration ran until 30 September, meaning the burgers have now officially left the menu – but having tasted them, there is plenty to talk about.
Madumane Double – big, saucy and properly Mzansi
The DJ Maphorisa-inspired Madumane Double did not arrive quietly.
The burger featured a 200g double beef smash, chakalaka, chorizo and cheese, all packed into a brioche bun. RocoMamas positioned it as the “main drop” of the collaboration.
The first bite was very much about the beef, but then the chakalaka came through with that familiar South African kick.
Spicy, savoury and gloriously messy, it was the sort of burger that requires you to abandon any plans of eating neatly.
And there was something particularly kasi about that combination.
Chakalaka was not there as a gimmick. It gave the burger a distinctly South African personality, taking the familiar smashburger format and throwing in a flavour many Mzansi households know very well.
RocoMamas described the collaboration as burgers built by the two artists “the way they build a track – layer on layer until it hits.”
That description actually makes sense.
Papta Sting brings the heat
Then came Kabza De Small’s Papta Sting – and this one was for the spice chaser.
The burger combined southern-fried chicken with atchar and jalapeños on a brioche bun. RocoMamas summed it up neatly: “Sweet on the way in, sting on the way out.”
And that is pretty much the assignment.
The chicken brings the crunch, the atchar delivers that sweet-sour South African flavour, and then the jalapeño arrives with a little extra attitude.
It is the kind of burger that makes you pause after the first bite and ask yourself whether you really want another one.
Naturally, you do.
Kabza’s association with the burger also made sense because the collaboration was built around flavours that feel familiar to South African palates rather than trying too hard to reinvent the wheel.
It tasted like the kasi – with a RocoMamas twist
The King’s Feast was at its most interesting when it leaned into flavours that South Africans already know.
Chakalaka. Atchar. Pap balls. Big portions. Messy eating. Food made for sharing.
RocoMamas itself described the campaign as being inspired by the “grootmans of the yanos”, while its promotional material leaned heavily into the idea of bringing South African flavour to the menu.
That made the collaboration feel like more than simply putting two famous names on burgers.
Amapiano has always been closely connected to place, community, language, fashion, dance and everyday South African life. The King’s Feast borrowed from that same cultural vocabulary and put it on a plate.
And yes, chakalaka on a burger works.
There, we said it.
The timing was perfect
The RocoMamas collaboration formed part of the build-up to Scorpion Kings Live at FNB Stadium on 19 September.
RocoMamas was an official activation partner for the massive concert, alongside brands including SABC1, which was the official broadcast partner.
The King’s Feast was available throughout September before ending on 30 September.
So if you were planning to rush to RocoMamas today for a Madumane Double or Papta Sting, unfortunately, you have missed the boat – or in this case, the burger.
But there is another Scorpion Kings moment waiting tonight.
From the burger to the big screen
Scorpion Kings Live is making its television debut on SABC1 today, Saturday, 3 October, at 20:00.
The concert, which was staged at FNB Stadium on 19 September, will be broadcast for the first time on television, with a simultaneous broadcast on SABC Plus. SABC1 confirmed the broadcast as part of its partnership with the event.
For viewers who were not inside FNB Stadium, tonight is the chance to experience the scale of the show from home.
SABC Video Entertainment Marketing Manager Dichaba Phalatse described the concert as “more than a concert” and “a defining South African cultural moment”, saying SABC1 wanted to bring the energy of FNB Stadium to audiences across the country.
The Scorpion Kings themselves said: “Scorpion Kings Live was too special to be experienced for one night only.”
They added: “Now, for the first time, people across South Africa can relive that experience from wherever they are.”
And that is where the RocoMamas collaboration comes full circle.
The burgers may have disappeared from the menu, but the music is still very much on.
So, what was the foodie verdict?
The Madumane Double was the heavyweight – beefy, saucy, cheesy and carrying enough chakalaka to remind you that this was never meant to be just another burger.
The Papta Sting was the cheekier one – crispy chicken, atchar and jalapeño bringing the sweet-and-sting combination promised in the name.
Neither needed to pretend to be fine dining.
They were burgers.
Big, messy, youthful burgers with a distinctly South African accent.
And perhaps that was the point.
Maphorisa went from selling sweets and running a tuck shop to becoming one of the biggest names in Amapiano. Now his name has been attached to a burger loaded with chakalaka.
Not a bad journey.
The King’s Feast may have left RocoMamas on 30 September, but the Scorpion Kings are back on screen tonight.
So get your snacks sorted, turn up the volume and settle in for FNB Stadium from your sofa.
Just don’t blame us if watching Kabza and Maphorisa perform makes you hungry.
That part is on you.
