Professor Dire Tladi is a prominent South African law professor and expert in international law. He was born on 20 April 1975 in Garankua, a township northwest of Pretoria.
He has served as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission from 2012 to 2022, and was appointed as the South African Research Chair for Constitutional International Law in 2020.
He is currently a professor of international law at the University of Pretoria and the University of Stellenbosch. He has published more than 100 academic publications and a novel. He is also the co-editor in chief of the South African Yearbook of International Law.
Professor Dire Tladi Early Life and Education
Professor Dire Tladi was born on 20 April 1975 in Garankua, a township northwest of Pretoria.
He earned his BLC and LLB degree cum laude from the University of Pretoria, an LL.M. from the University of Connecticut (USA), and a LLD (International law) from the Erasmus University (Netherlands).
His PhD thesis was titled “Towards a nuanced conceptualisation of sustainable development in International Law: An analysis of key enviro-economic instruments”.
Professor Dire Tladi Career
Professor Dire Tladi is a renowned South African scholar and practitioner of international law. He has made significant contributions to the development and understanding of international law, especially in the areas of human rights, environmental law, and international criminal law.
He has also served in various prestigious positions, such as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, a legal advisor to the South African government and the United Nations, and a judge at the International Court of Justice.
Tladi began his career as a legal scholar in 1997, when he was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Jurisprudence at the University of Pretoria. He obtained his BLC and LLB degrees cum laude from the same university, and then pursued his LLM at the University of Connecticut in the USA, and his PhD at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands.
He moved to the University of South Africa in 2002, where he became an associate professor and the head of the Department of International, Constitutional and Indigenous Law.
In 2006, Tladi joined the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (then Department of Foreign Affairs) as the Principal State Law Advisor for International Law.
From 2009 to 2013, Tladi served as the legal advisor to the South African Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was involved in the work of various UN bodies and committees, such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and the International Law Commission. He also participated in the drafting and adoption of several important resolutions and declarations, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the UN Declaration on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels.
In 2012, Tladi was elected as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, a body of 34 experts that is tasked with the progressive development and codification of international law. He served for two terms, from 2012 to 2022, and was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on peremptory norms of general international law (jus cogens).
In 2014, Tladi returned to the University of Pretoria as a professor of international law in the Department of Public Law and a fellow at the Institute of Comparative and International Law in Africa. He also became an extraordinary professor at the University of Stellenbosch.
He continued his academic research and teaching in various fields of international law, such as human rights, environmental law, international criminal law, and treaty law. He also supervised several doctoral and master’s students. He published more than 100 academic publications, including books, articles, and chapters.
He also co-edited the South African Yearbook of International Law and the Journal of Practice of International Courts and Tribunals. He also wrote a novel, Blood in the Sand of Justice, based on a fictional account of the assassination of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
In 2020, Tladi was appointed by the National Research Foundation as the South African Research Chair for Constitutional International Law, a prestigious position that aims to promote excellence and innovation in research and teaching.
He also received the highest honour in his field, when he was elected as a judge at the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. He became the first South African and the fourth African to serve on the Court. He took his oath of office on 6 February 2024, and will serve for a nine-year term.
Professor Dire Tladi Personal Life
Professor Dire Tladi is a married man with two children, a son and a daughter. He enjoys reading, writing, and playing chess in his spare time. He is also a fan of soccer and supports the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club.
He is fluent in several languages, including English, Afrikaans, Setswana, and French. He is a devout Christian and a member of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. He is also a philanthropist and supports various causes, such as education, human rights, and environmental protection.
Professor Dire Tladi Net Worth
Professor Dire Tladi’s Net Worth is estimated to be around $400,000 as of 2024.
