ANC salutes retiring deputy chief justice Moseneke
The African National Congress has paid tribute to Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke on his retirement on Friday.
“There are few judges who have left such an indelible imprint in the history of South Africa,” ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.
From a young age, Moseneke had carried the collective aspirations of the people of his country through his relentless and selfless struggle for the liberation of the South African people which saw him incarcerated on Robben Island at the very tender age of 15 years, making him the youngest prisoner of the apartheid regime.
“The regime believed that by jailing Moseneke they would kill his unshakeable spirit; instead, he had the courage of his convictions and studied law to become one of the most prominent jurists of the country, shaping the jurisprudence of our young democracy,” Kodwa said.
A fine jurist, Moseneke understood the power of law as an instrument of social engineering.
“He leaves the Constitutional Court much richer than he found it. This commitment to constitutionalism is a story that is yet to be told – given its magnitude. The ANC joins many in our country in bidding a fitting farewell to this judicial icon and untiring servant of the people.”
From being an attorney’s clerk at Klagbruns Inc in Pretoria in 1976, Moseneke was called to the Bar in 1983 and practiced as an advocate in Johannesburg and Pretoria. He served on the technical committee that drafted the Interim Constitution in 1993.
It was due to his outstanding and commendable work as deputy chairman of the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC), together with the collective he worked with in 1994, that South Africa conducted and delivered its first free and fair democratic elections.
“Because of his legal credentials it came as no surprise when he was appointed an executor of the estate of the late icon of our struggle and father of the nation Isithwalandwe/Seaparankoe comrade president Nelson Mandela together with advocate George Bizos and Eastern Cape Judge President Themba Sangoni.”
The ANC had full confidence that Moseneke was not lost to the legal fraternity nor South Africa in general. His meaningful contribution, even in his retirement, would continue to inspire generations of aspirant jurists, Kodwa said.
In another statement issued by chief whip Jackson Mthembu’s office, the ANC in Parliament also paid tribute to Moseneke.
“We remain highly indebted to the deputy chief justice for his lifelong and selfless commitment to the course of the struggle for liberation and advancement of the rule of law and the Constitution,” the statement said.
Moseneke was undoubtedly one of the finest constitutionalists ever produced by this nation. His remarkable mastery of the law, razor-sharp intellect, and devotion to social justice had earned him respect and admiration both within and outside the legal fraternity.
“There is no doubt that his meticulous judgments and fearless pursuit of justice and fairness, through which he passionately championed the interests of the poor and the underprivileged, has earned him a special place among greatest jurists in our history,” the statement said.