Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

12 October 2026

4-minute read

Tributes have been pouring in from around the world for Nobel Peace Prize Durban-born winner Judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay.

Pillay, aged 85, was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize last Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognised Pillay’s contribution to developing a stronger international legal order and ensuring the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In announcing the award in Oslo, the committee’s chairperson, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, said that Pillay’s firm moral compass had led the way to a more comprehensive legal order. The Committee commended her integrity, judicial rigour, and courage, saying accountability for serious crimes was essential to lasting peace.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres was quoted as saying that Pillay is a voice for justice who has shown that “the force of law must prevail over the law of force”. The award has also prompted congratulations from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, alongside global human rights groups and religious leaders.

A descendant of Indian indentured labourers, Pillay’s own father was a bus driver, and she was raised in the poor Indian section of Durban. She had risen to serve in some of the world’s highest courts and is the first South African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1967 Judge Navanethem Pillay became the first woman to start a law practice in Natal and made history as the first black woman to serve in the High Court in the country.

As a practitioner, Judge Pillay defended many opponents of apartheid, presiding over both criminal and civil cases. She was elected by the United Nations General Assembly to be a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she served for eight years, including four years as president. During her term, Judge Pillay was credited with turning the Tribunal towards a more positive course. She has written on and practised in international criminal law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law, with a specific focus on crimes of sexual violence in conflicts.

After being told that she had won the Nobel Peace Prize, she joked that she did not quite believe the news, laughingly stating: “being a lawyer and a judge, I still want to verify this thing.” In a more formal news conference later, Pillay dedicated her award to “all the survivors of international crime”.

Pillay also joked about sharing her prize with Trump, telling the crowd who applauded her after the announcement: “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump;” alluding to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who gave her Nobel gold medal to Trump last year. US President Donald Trump slammed the “disgraceful” Nobel Peace Prize choice on Friday, labelling the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision as “disgraceful and embarrassing,” saying that he had “never heard of” Pillay.

Until recently, Pillay, now 85, chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.