Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africa’s justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has condemned the fatal shooting of a lawyer (35) in Johannesburg’s central business district as a direct threat to the country’s constitutional order.
Chinette Gallichan was killed on Monday morning near the corner of Fox and Joubert streets, outside the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) offices.
The police say a suspect approached Gallichan as she exited her vehicle, opened fire at close range, and then fled on foot before escaping in a waiting car.
No arrest has been made.
According to the ministry, Gallichan was a legal practitioner attached to Sibanye-Stillwater’s legal team, and was involved in a labour dispute at the time of her death.
Early indications suggest the attack was targeted, as none of her belongings were taken.
Kubayi has expressed shock at the killing, emphasising the critical role of legal practitioners in maintaining access to justice.
“The justice system exists to provide lawful, fair, and structured mechanisms for resolving disputes. We urge all individuals and parties to reject violence and place their trust in legal processes and institutions,” she says.
Kubayi further warns that such attacks undermine the country’s legal framework and democratic foundations.
“An attack of this nature undermines the rule of law and threatens the very foundation of our constitutional democracy. Legal practitioners play a critical role in ensuring access to justice, and their safety must be safeguarded at all times,” she says.
The minister urges law enforcement agencies to act swiftly and decisively.
“Violence against any person will not be tolerated, particularly when it targets members of the legal profession and results in loss of life,” Kubayi says.
Tributes have since poured in for Gallichan.
Colleagues have described Gallichan as a familiar and respected presence in both legal and athletic circles.
Fellow attorney Jacobus Myburgh says she was practising in the labour litigation department at Sibanye-Stillwater, handling cases related to unfair dismissals and unpaid wages.
The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) says the senseless act of violence, carried out in broad daylight on a busy public street, is not only an attack on the legal profession, but on all workers.
“At this rate, specialists like Gallichan will be reluctant to take on cases that might be controversial but will bring justice for workers and clarify their rights.
“Workers across the country rely on institutions like the CCMA to resolve disputes and protect their rights. Yet this incident demonstrates that even these spaces are no longer safe. Every worker, every citizen, deserves the fundamental right to security when accessing public services. Our democracy is under threat,” chief executive for operations Martlé Keyter says.
The association says this also comes as the police have yet to arrest suspects in other assassinations on prominent figures like liquidator Cloete Murray and his son, Thomas, who were shot while driving in their vehicle on the N1 North near the New Road off-ramp in Midrand, Johannesburg in 2023.
“Murray was a well-known insolvency practitioner acting as the liquidator for high-profile cases involving corruption, including Bosasa and firms linked to the Gupta family.”
In another assassination, well-known insolvency attorney Bouwer van Niekerk was killed in the offices of his law firm in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, on 5 September 2025, by two suspects who pretended to be potential new clients.
“At the time of his death, Van Niekerk was busy with a major insolvency matter involving an alleged Ponzi scheme and had been deeply involved in litigation.
“Misa demands that the police act with urgency and determination in all of these cases like it did with the arrest last week of Matipandile Sotheni, a highly trained former SAPS Task Team member and sniper, for the alleged murder of Marius van der Merwe, Witness D, who was killed outside his house in Brakpan on December 5, 2025 shortly after testifying before the Madlanga Commission,” the association says.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
