In the backdrop of excesses being committed by hegemons on international law and institutions responsible for its implementation, the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee, on 9 October 2026, awarded the Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay. The award is in recognition of her efforts to promote peace and international law, ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted with resolve and vigour.

This recognition is in fact of an illustrious legal career that spans her role as a practising lawyer and then a judge. This piece is written with a view to highlight what she did differently, in both these roles, to take a lead for others to follow. In my view, surprisingly, she didn’t do anything different. She only did what she and every law professional is expected to do: upholding the rule and applicability of law and justice across the board. What makes her look different is that she didn’t walk the walk. A leaf out of her practice as a lawyer and a jurist bears evidence of her three traits: she upheld her professional opinion independently regardless of pressures, she built sound legal reasoning, and she applied the same standard.

Pillay’s legal reasoning is best seen in the Akayesu case at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Pillay’s legal reasoning is best seen in the Akayesu case at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Pillay was born in Durban in 1941, to a bus driver. Due to her father’s meagre resources, the community raised money for Navi’s education. In 1967, she became the first woman to open a law practice in........

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