Pretoria - Members of the legal fraternity have paid tribute to Pretoria senior advocate Simmy Lebala, who died at the weekend following a long struggle with colon cancer.
His family said he had fought cancer for nearly 15 years and at the time of his death Lebala had notched an illustrious track record of service to both the legal profession and community.
He was also a principled business leader, dedicated community builder, and a fierce campaigner for meaningful transformation in the legal profession.
Advocate Jannet Gildenhuys, chairperson of the Pretoria Society of Advocates, said Lebala SC was their proud member for 26 years.
He was granted senior status in December 2008 and selflessly served on the Society’s Bar Council for eight years.
“He was a true advocate. He had an incredible sense of what was equitable and championed the cause of the most vulnerable among us,” Gildenhuys said.
“The society and the profession are indebted to him for his commitment to transformation at the bar.”
Gildenhuys said that what she remembered best was the respect with which he treated his colleagues, whether they were opposing him or not.
He was also impatient with those who treated their opponents with disrespect.
He was held in high regard by his colleagues, who describe him as having been a gentleman - he was soft-spoken, kind, compassionate, passionate, ethical and honest.
His passing is truly a loss to his colleagues at the Pretoria Society of Advocates and the profession at large, Gildehuys said.
The society has expressed its condolences to his family and friends.
Lebala held BJuris and LLB degrees from the University of Zululand, an LLM from Georgetown University, a diploma in Trial Advocacy from University of Colorado, and a Certificate in Mediation.
His family said he had a deeply principled approach to every case he took on, including equal recognition of women in the legal profession.
As a SC, he appeared in court cases representing litigants ranging from corporates, tribal communities to government departments.
He was evidence leader in the Arms Procurement Commission and a defence counsel in the state capture commission.
He was also one of the founding members of the Advocates for Transformation and lectured at Vista University in Soweto (now University of Johannesburg) in the mid-1990s.
He was also a supremely graceful, meticulous and insightful legal writer, who contributed to several legal publications.
Lebala served on several boards, including the Companies Tribunal, National Horse Racing Authority of Southern Africa, and the North West Gambling Board, where he was the chairperson.
His family said he had worked tirelessly to build education structures and address the challenges facing the community of Atteridgeville through the Creative Alliance for Youth in Arts, music school.
The community of Atteridgeville and the South African legal fraternity have lost a dedicated, principled, competent, and passionate practitioner and social activist; a man with a heart that was deeply rooted in the principles of justice, fairness and equality.
Advocate Lebala is survived by his mother Mme May Lebala, son Loatile, two elder sisters, and nephews and nieces.
Pretoria News