Pretoria - Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane has, on behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government, extended condolences to the family of former Chief Justice Pius Langa, who died on Wednesday morning.
Langa died on Wednesday at the age of 74 at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg after a long illness.
Mokonyane said Langa had dedicated his entire life to the struggle against apartheid and was a champion of human rights.
“On behalf of the people of Gauteng and the provincial government, we are truly saddened by the loss of one of our greatest legal minds this country has ever seen.
“We will remember Chief Justice Langa for his complete integrity, independence and his immense contribution towards transforming the country’s justice system,” said the premier.
Langa was born in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, on March 25, 1939. He served the Department of Justice for 17 years before becoming an advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa in 1977. He was appointed to the Bench by former President Nelson Mandela in 1994.
He retired as the Chief Justice in 2009 and went on to chair the Press Freedom Commission, which looked into regulation of the print media in South Africa.
Langa was given several awards for advancing justice and human rights, including the 2004 Justice Prize, with former Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson, by the Peter Gruber Foundation in the United States.
In 2008, former President Thabo Mbeki awarded him the Order of the Supreme Counsellor of the Baobab. – SAnews.gov.za
