Prominent judge Willem van der Linde dies suddenly

Prominent Gauteng high court judge Willem van der Linde died  suddenly at the weekend.

Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo said Van der Linde‚ 63‚ was “a committed jurist‚ a pillar of strength at the court”.

He was appointed as a judge of the high court in 2015. Before then‚ he served as an advocate from 1983, becoming a senior counsel in 1995.

Van der Linde was a graduate of the University of Port Elizabeth‚ now Nelson Mandela University‚ where he obtained his LLB and LLM degrees.

He had extensive experience as a commercial litigator‚ including in the specialist areas of insurance and construction.

The office of the chief justice said Van der Linde was well-prepared‚ someone who listened patiently and politely‚ but also dealt decisively with counsel appearing before him.

“He had a commanding judicial presence and demonstrated an acute grasp of the issues‚” Mlambo said.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Isabella‚ his children‚ family and friends.”

In an interview before being appointed as a judge in 2015‚ Van der Linde disclosed that while at university‚ he was a member of the Ruiterwag‚ the youth wing of the Afrikaner Broederbond‚ a secret‚ exclusively male and Afrikaner organisation dedicated to the advancement of Afrikaner interests.

He said he was asked by the dean of students to join and was told it was an Afrikaner think-tank.

He said he thought of himself as a progressive and believed he could contribute in these young Afrikaner circles.

“I can see now quite clearly that it took far too long for me to absorb the fact that it was only white‚ only male‚ and that it was secret.”

The Legal Practice Council expressed sadness at his death, saying he had briefly served as a member of the national forum on the legal profession — established to oversee the transition from the previous dispensation to the council — before being appointed as a judge. — TimesLIVE 

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