Retiring Justice Moseneke praised
RETIRED deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke has been lauded for having one of the greatest legal minds in South Africa – and for being one of the greatest chief justices the country would never have.
This came out during his farewell event organised by the Pretoria Bar Council at the Pretoria Country Club on Saturday night.
“Justice Moseneke spent his entire life on and off the Bench, selflessly serving South Africans. He’s a judge whose judgments reflected a love for liberty and a passion for justice,” said Pretoria Bar member Soraya Hassim.
“Not every lawyer is a jurist, but in our midst today we have one of South Africa’s finest; a man who walked from Robben Island to the Constitutional Court, freedom fighter, someone I have a privileged to call a friend, and someone who we at the Pretoria Bar feel privileged to be associated with.”
Hassim said Justice Moseneke sacrificed his youth for the betterment of South Africa. At the age of 15, he was arrested and convicted for taking part in anti-apartheid activity and jailed on Robben Island for 10 years.
During his incarceration, he obtained a BA in English and political science, a B Iuris and later an LLB through Unisa.
“Justice Moseneke sacrificed his youth so the youth of today can enjoy the fruits of freedom brought by that sacrifice,” Hassim said. “He has spent his life in pursuit of justice. His defence of political activists in the days following violence of June 16, 1976 into the more violent 1980s bears this out.”
She said Justice Moseneke had successfully challenged the constitutionality of South Africa’s racially discriminatory laws, but he had not sought any accolades.
“He considered it a rare privilege to serve his country in the highest court … he said he was prepared to serve in any other court lower than the Constitutional Court,” she said.