35-year-old attorney Chinette Gallichan was shot dead in the Johannesburg CBD on Monday.
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Civil society group Freedom Under Law (FUL) and National Employers' Association of South Africa (Neasa) have strongly condemned the murder of attorney Chinette Gallichan.
The organisations said there has been a troubling pattern of murders of lawyers, investigators and whistleblowers in recent years. Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has also condemned Gallichan's murder saying violence, particularly against members of the legal profession, “will not be tolerated” and called on law enforcement to act swiftly.
It has been reported that Gallichan, a 35-year-old labour law attorney from Krugersdorp, was shot dead on Monday morning on the corner of Fox and Joubert streets in Johannesburg’s CBD.
The incident occurred at around 9:00am as Gallichan arrived for a matter at the CCMA. According to the justice ministry, she was a legal practitioner attached to Sibanye-Stillwater’s legal team and was involved in a labour dispute at the time of her death. According to witnesses, she had just exited her vehicle when an assailant approached and opened fire at close range. The suspect fled the scene.
FUL said in a statement that the circumstances of Gallichan's murder raise deeply concerning questions about the potential role of organised crime in her death.
“FUL has raised its concern about previous killings of several lawyers, investigators, and whistleblowers in what have appeared to be deliberate and concerted attempts to prevent criminal behaviour from being exposed. The killing of attorney Bouwer van Niekerk in September 2025 was a recent example of this trend. It is not yet clear whether killing of Ms Gallichan is another example of this worrying trend, but whatever the underlying reason, her death represents an attack on the rule of law and therefore on our constitutional democracy.
“A society based on the rule of law requires lawyers to be able to represent clients fearlessly, without fear that fulfilling their basic professional duties could put their lives at risk. If lawyers cannot do so, the entire legal system, and therefore our entire system of government, would be under serious threat. We cannot allow the threat of violence to be normalised, or to be used to intimidate legal practitioners and to manipulate the legal system.”
FUL called on law enforcement agencies to act quickly and decisively to bring all those responsible for this killing to justice.
NEASA conveyed its condolences to the family and friends of Gallichan for their loss.
“It is a senseless tragedy. This murder is one in a growing list of lawyers, liquidators, investigative journalists, and the like who asked the right questions and paid the ultimate price. South Africa has, to put it mildly, descended into a mafia state, characterised by lawlessness, rampant crime, guns-for-hire, and no consequences.”
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