Durban - Former Constitutional Court judge and KwaZulu-Natal scholar Judge Thembile Lewis Skweyiya died on Tuesday morning after a brief illness.
Social media had since been inundated with messages of condolences for the retired judge, whom President Jacob Zuma had appointed as inspecting judge of correctional services in April.
“The late Justice Thembile Skweyiya ranks among the most illustrious alumni of the University of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Professor Managay Reddi, Dean of the School of Law at UKZN.
She said the judge, who was born in the Western Cape, had graduated with an LLB degree through the School of Law in 1967.
“His career, first at the bar and later as a judge in the Constitutional Court, has been exemplary. The late Judge Skweyiya epitomised the potential of education to promote one to the highest echelons of one’s profession,” she said.
“He served as an outstanding example to students of law that being a lawyer is more than a job – it is a role that comes with the burden of ensuring justice.”
The Dean and the School of Law also expressed their condolences to the family and friends of Judge Skweyiya on the loss of “this true gentleman of the legal profession”.
In 1970, he was admitted as an advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa and became a member of the Society of Advocates in KZN. From 1971 to 1996 he practised as an advocate in Durban and after a two-year acting judge stint in KZN and the Eastern Cape Division, his appointment became formal in 2001.
The Legal Resource Centre also noted his death with sadness and described him as an anti-apartheid activist and the first black African to obtain the status of senior counsel in South Africa in 1989.
He was appointed to the Constitutional Court in 2003 and retired in May last year. He was also the chancellor at the University of Fort Hare.
The LRC said he was also known for his commitment to children’s rights. His last judgment handed down at the Constitutional Court concerned the best interests of children.
“We honour Justice Skweyiya for his steadfast commitment to human rights throughout his distinguished legal career, and for his contribution to realising the vision of the constitution. We extend our condolences to his wife (Sayo Nomakhosi), children, friends and colleagues.”
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha hailed Skweyiya as a brilliant jurist. He is survived by his wife and four children.
Daily News