President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday extended his congratulations to judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, who won the Nobel Peace Prize "for her efforts to promote peace and international law".

She is the fifth Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the eleventh South African to win a Nobel Prize.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee honoured Pillay as “a person who, with exceptional courage and integrity, has led the way towards a more comprehensive legal order. This year’s laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted."

In her early career Pillay defended anti-apartheid activists, including former President Nelson Mandela before branching into international law. 

She is an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice.

Pillay was judge and president of the Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 1999 to 2003 and served as a judge of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2008.

She was also the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ramaphosa said the win was a “profound tribute” to Pillay’s courage, integrity and lifelong commitment to justice.

“Justice Pillay’s crowning as winner of the Nobel Prize allows us to celebrate the progressive contributions she has made to strengthen peace, uphold human dignity and bring hope in South Africa and to peoples globally. She has served humanity with principle and the belief that the world can and should be a better place,” he said.

In winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Pillay joins other South African winners Mandela, Chief Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former President FW de Klerk.