Death of 'peacemaker' who co-wrote Constitution

Professor Lourens Marthinus du Plessis (71), well-known legal academic and co-writer of the SA Constitution and Bill of Rights, has died. A research professor at the North West University, Du Plessis was a gentle giant and a peacemaker during the turbulent period of political transition, Leon Wessels, a former Minister in the National Party, is quoted as saying by News24. Wessels, who worked alongside Du Plessis and President Cyril Ramaphosa, produced the draft Constitution and Bill of Rights that ushered in a new SA. He died of natural causes on Saturday in Johannesburg. ‘I knew him quite well as we were both students at the same university. He was a gentle giant, so soft spoken. You can imagine in that turbulent period where he had to interact with all political parties... the professor stood out as a caring South African. He wouldn't have succeeded in that demanding job if he wasn't caring,’ Wessels said. ‘He had respect for everyone, and wherever there was a conflict, he was the peacemaker, without abandoning his principles. What a gentleman.’

Du Plessis penned many academic books and more than 108 scholarly journals, according to the NWU website. A highly-accomplished academic, he also presented 42 papers internationally and 65 at national conferences and meetings. He was the founding director of the University of Stellenbosch/University of the Western Cape Research Unit for Legal and Constitutional Interpretation. Du Plessis was also professor and head of the Department of Jurisprudence at the North West University and professor extraordinaire of Comparative and Public International Law at the University of the Western Cape. He was also founding editor of the Stellenbosch Law Review and a former president of the Southern African Law Teachers Association. News24 notes that NWU via their Facebook page said Du Plessis, ‘was one of the great minds of this country’. ‘His intellectual ability surpassed all of those around him, yet he was known for his gentleness and humility. He was never afraid to say what he thinks and his criticism of the former government more than once brought him and his family into big trouble. ‘It was, however, difficult to refute any of his arguments, as they were based on fact and intellectual rigour.’