Pretoria- Former Constitutional Court Judge Thembile Skweyiya has been described as a man who contributed significantly to the judiciary of South Africa.
“We are here to bid farewell to gentle legal giant who contributed profoundly to the development of the jurisprudence of South Africa. He was a renowned human rights lawyer and activist at the height of apartheid repression in the 1980s,” said Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Addressing the Special Official funeral for Judge Skweyiya at the Ethekwini City hall in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, the Deputy President said that Skweyiya had made an indelible contribution to the liberation of the country and its people.
“The tributes by speakers who came before me bear testimony to a life that not only touched many of our people, but did much to restore hope in our judicial system,” said the Deputy President.
Judge Skweyiya, who was one of the first black advocates in the country, passed away on Tuesday.
The Deputy President said that Skweyiya served the country with integrity and dignity and that he had a strong sense of his professional and moral responsibilities.
The judge was part of several landmark judgements of the court that changed the lives of South Africans for the better.
“There is no more fitting way of recognising the indelible role that Justice Skweyiya has played in the building of our nation than by working together to advance the values and ideals by which he lived. Throughout his life, he was a true embodiment of fairness, humility, integrity, dedication and professionalism,” said the Deputy President.-SAnews.gov.za
