Judge Khalipi Jacob Moloi, who passed on at his home in Bloemfontein last Thursday, was born in Kestell in 1946 and completed his B.Iuris from the University of Zululand in 1974.

His career in the legal profession started in Umlazi, Durban, where he worked for the Department of Justice as a public prosecutor between 1972 and 1976. He also served as a Magistrate in Witsieshoek in 1976 before joining the law firm Schoeman & Kellerman in Welkom as a candidate attorney, a position he held until 1979. In the same year, he opened his own law firm, Jake Moloi & Partners, where he was a practicing attorney until 1998.

Judge Cagney Musi described Moloi as a stern law practitioner. “It is clear that the man left a huge footprint in the legal profession in the Free State and nationally. He was always a friendly person, collegial, but he took no nonsense from any practitioners. They knew in his court you had to be crisp and to the point. His death is a great loss to the profession and legal fraternity,” says Musi.

He adds that Moloi played a crucial role in transforming the legal system in the country.

“He was the second black attorney to be admitted as an attorney in the Free State province. He was the first black person to own a law firm (Jake Moloi & Partners) in the province. He was also the first black chief state attorney in Pretoria. I would say he played a crucial role in transforming the attorney’s profession, both provincially and nationally.

Moloi was also the chairperson of the board of inquiry that enquired into former National Police Commissioners Bheki Cele’s fitness for office. Cele was later dismissed.

Meanwhile, Judge President Mahube Molemela said in a statement that Moloi’s passing leaves the South African judiciary poorer. “We wish his family and loved ones strength and comfort during this difficult period. May his soul rest in peace.”

Moloi will be laid to rest in his hometown of Kestell tomorrow morning.

OFM News