‘You buy Mercedes, I want to invest in my education’: What Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay, daughter of a bus driver, once told colleagues who questioned her ambitions

Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her work defending human rights and upholding international law, but her journey to one of the world’s most prestigious honours was shaped by a decision to invest in education rather than luxury. When her colleagues once questioned why she wanted to pursue a doctorate at Harvard instead of focusing on earning more money, Pillay, a South African lawyer, said “You see, you use your money to buy Mercedes Benzes. I want to invest in my education one day.”

South African Navi Pillay of Indian descent has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday. The committee praised Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her determination to hold powerful individuals and governments accountable. Her career, it noted, connected her early work defending Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists with her later service as a judge in major international criminal cases.

"In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law," the Nobel commitee said.

Who is Navanethem “Navi” Pillay?

Born on September 23, 1941, in South Africa to Indian parents of Tamil descent, Pillay grew up in a poor family during apartheid. Her father worked as a bus driver. She got her law degrees from University of Natal, South Africa. As a student, she also participated in protests and boycotts against apartheid.

In 1967, she became the first woman to establish a law practice in her home province of Natal. As a defence lawyer, she represented anti-apartheid activists, exposed instances of torture and helped secure important rights for prisoners held on Robben Island, where Mandela and other political prisoners were incarcerated.

However, Pillay wanted to expand her legal knowledge beyond courtroom practice. After working for several years, she returned to higher education, pursuing a master’s degree in law at Harvard University in 1982, specialising in human rights and international law. She subsequently earned a Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Harvard Law School in 1988, becoming the first South African to receive the doctorate in law from the institution.

In an interview with Mail & Guardian, Pillay recalled how her decision to pursue further education puzzled her professional colleagues. She had performed well academically, including during her master’s programme, but some lawyers questioned the financial value of spending more years studying. Their argument was straightforward: an advanced qualification would not necessarily allow her to charge higher legal fees. Pillay, however, saw education as an investment in knowledge and opportunity rather than a means of increasing her immediate income.

Her career subsequently expanded into academia and international justice. She worked as a lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and later became vice-president of the council of the University of Durban-Westville.

Following the end of apartheid, she was appointed an acting judge of South Africa’s High Court in 1995. That year, the United Nations General Assembly elected her to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She served there for eight years, including four as its president from 1999 to 2003.