Chinette Gallichan was actively practising in the labour litigation department for Sibanye-Stillwater at the time of her death.
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She was Chinette Gallichan, a 35-year-old Krugersdorp lawyer.
On Monday morning, she was shot and killed outside the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) offices at the corner of Fox and Joubert streets in the Johannesburg CBD.The event happened around 9:00 AM while she was on her way to the CCMA for a case.
Witnesses say that the attacker shot her at close range right after she got out of her car. The suspect then ran away on foot and got away in a car that was waiting for him.
Colleagues have shared their grief and shock at this violent act. Jacobus Myburgh, a fellow attorney, confirmed that Gallichan was actively practising in the labour litigation department for Sibanye-Stillwater at the time of her death.
Gallichan is thought to have been representing a mining company in a dispute involving workers who had been allegedly laid off and were seeking compensation.
Witnesses claimed that as she got out of her car, a suspect—possibly a man—approached her and fired a close-range shot. After leaving the area on foot, the suspect boarded a waiting getaway car.
According to reports from the scene, the incident could have been a targeted attack, as none of the victim's belongings were stolen.
Gallichan received her LLB degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and later earned a postgraduate diploma in Labour Law with distinction from the University of Johannesburg.
''Her death has sent shockwaves through both the legal and athletics communities, where she was described as a familiar face, particularly at the CCMA, where she often represented employees in matters involving unpaid wages and unfair dismissals,'' Myburgh wrote in a Facebook post.
A murder case is currently being investigated.