Edwin Cameron
Jurist and former Constitutional Court justice
By South African Index Editorial Desk · Published
Edwin Cameron is a South African jurist who served on the Constitutional Court and has been prominent in human-rights and HIV advocacy. In 2021 he received the Order of the Baobab in Gold. [1][2]
Biography
Cameron was born in Pretoria on 15 February 1953. He studied at Stellenbosch University, Oxford University and the University of South Africa before practising at the Johannesburg Bar and working as a human-rights lawyer at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies. [1]
He entered the judiciary in the 1990s and later served on the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court’s biography records his legal work on labour law, land tenure, equality and other human-rights issues before and during his judicial career. [1]
Cameron has also spoken publicly about living with HIV and campaigned against HIV-related stigma. In 2021 The Presidency awarded him the Order of the Baobab in Gold, citing his contribution to the judicial system, HIV and AIDS advocacy and LGBTQIA+ rights. [1][2]
Key contributions
Served in South Africa’s superior courts, including the Constitutional Court, after a legal career that included human-rights litigation and scholarship. [1]
Used his public position to advocate against HIV stigma and for equality rights, work cited in his 2021 National Order. [2]
Career timeline
Sources
- Constitutional Court of South Africa, Justice Cameron. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-24. ↩
- The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, National Orders Booklet 2021, 2021-11-18. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-24. ↩