Pretoria High Court judge Willie Hartzenberg is retiring this month - albeit reluctantly - after 25 years on the Bench,
Judge Hartzenberg was the longest serving judge in the country and would be missed not only for his excellent knowledge of the law and hard work, but also for his great sense of humour, said Judge Willem van der Merwe, the second longest serving judge.
"He was a particularly hard and dedicated worker, very jovial and pleasant," he said.
Known for the Wouter Basson trial which he presided over and which lasted a number of years, Judge Hartzenberg also heard many other high-profile cases. One such case was in 1988 when one of the first necklace victims, Maki Skosana, was killed.
Judge Hartzenberg said at the time that two people had made video recordings of the mob and it was easy to see who the culprits were.
He also played a key role in an application at the start of the Gautrain project, when residential associations asked the court to order that the project be halted
He presided over criminal matters for some years, but mainly focused on civil cases.
"I still remember when I had to mete out death sentences. It was never easy, but I believe wholeheartedly that the death sentence had a deterrent effect on criminals and that it contributed to crime being less in those days," he said.
The most difficult cases, he said, were those that involved parents fighting over children.
"It was difficult to know who was telling the truth. You had the one's word against the other. These days there are many helpful aids, such as the family advocate, who investigates the circumstances of the child. We did not have it way back then."
Asked how he felt about retiring, Judge Hartzenberg said: "I don't like it one bit. I am not ready to retire. I can still do my thing."