FAMILY
Nivashni Nair|Published
JUDGE Navi Pillay may have spent much of her life in courtrooms and at the centre of some of the world's most consequential human rights cases, but at home, she is simply mum.
She worries about her daughters' health and happiness, has a dry sense of humour, can be stern when the situation calls for it and is a grandmother who shares a special bond with her five-year-old granddaughter.
For Kamini Pillay, these are the qualities that matter to her when she thinks about her mother who is now a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
“Despite her achievements, she will always be our mother first and foremost. She does typical ‘mum’ things like worry about our health, wellbeing, and happiness. This is often expressed through either her dry sense of humour, judge-like sternness, or compassionate gestures. You have to know her well enough to understand her multi-faceted psyche,” Pillay said.
Her sister, Isvari Pather, who lives in the United States, shares in the family's pride in their mother's achievements. But like her sibling, she has never been inclined to use their mother's public standing to draw attention to herself.
“We are not a family who puts any credence on public recognition or fame. We are ordinary people who practice human rights as our moral compass.
“My mother’s most impactful experiences have and continue to be with people who show their commitment to human rights and dignity through the simplest acts of kindness and altruism. And these are core values that she has instilled in us since childhood, specifically the principles of justice and fairness within the rule of law and in everyday life,” explained Pather.
From an early age, both women were aware of the importance of their mother’s work.
“We were always aware, whether it was when she was a practicing conveyancer, busy with my late father in anti-apartheid activist activities and ultimately her progression to becoming a judge on some of the world’s landmark tribunals and international courts,” Pillay said.
For the sisters, the values their mother taught them were never confined to her professional life.
They were principles to be applied in everyday dealings with other people, regardless of their circumstances.
Asked what she and her sister learnt from their mother growing up, Pillay's answer was simple: “Honesty, justice, fairness, equality and treating everyone with dignity and respect, no matter their socio-economic circumstances.”
Those lessons have shaped how Pillay views her mother's achievements and what they mean beyond the recognition she had received.
“I am so proudly South African. For my sister and I, personally, my mother is a living example or model exemplar of the sheer tenacity and consistency that it takes to fight the good fight in and for humanity and the public good. Our purpose in life is not about self-interest or enrichment. She is a true humanitarian, with a genuine compassion for the most vulnerable in society.”
Pillay lives in Johannesburg, and her mother regularly stops there on her way to Durban to spend a few days with her five-year-old grandchild.
“They adore each other beyond words,” Pillay said.
The family will gather in Oslo, Norway, in December to honour Judge Pillay at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
Asked what she expected to feel as she watched her mother being honoured in Oslo, Pillay said: “In part, surrealism juxtaposed with all-consuming pride and recognition of the honour. And admittedly, a bit of apprehension due to some of the negative backlash that she has received, now and for many years.
“But such backlash has never deterred my mother. As she commented in her very first impromptu statement, one does not need to be courageous to apply the rule of law. She has always said that she just does her job.”