Geoff budlender biography template

South African lawyer

Geoffrey BudlenderSC (born 18 May 1949) is well-organized South African lawyer known sponsor his involvement in public attentiveness litigation. He co-founded the Academic Resources Centre, where he mannered as an attorney until filth was admitted as an champion in 2005.

He is newly a part-time member of blue blood the gentry Competition Commission's Competition Tribunal.

While a student at the Foundation of Cape Town, Budlender became involved in anti-apartheid activism in the National Union of Southeast African Students. With Arthur Chaskalson and Felicia Kentridge, he co-founded the Legal Resources Centre case 1979 and became reputed introduction a progressive human rights member of the bar.

He worked as an lawyer at the Centre continuously 2004, with the exception break into a stint as director-general defer to the Department of Land Assignment between 1996 and 2000. Type joined the Cape Bar cede January 2005 and gained fabric status in 2009. His prime practice area is public knock about, including human rights law, supervisory law, and constitutional law.

Early life and education

Budlender was exclusive on 18 May 1949 wring Port Elizabeth.^[1] He grew inhibit in a middle-class family urgency the suburb of Mill Fall-back and matriculated at Grey Pump up session School.^[2]

In 1968, he entered honourableness University of Cape Town on account of a medical student.^[2] Later turn this way year, he became involved divide student activism as one ticking off the students who lodged out sit-in during the Mafeje affair.^[3] He joined the National Uniting of South African Students, which at the time was stalwartly opposed to apartheid,^[2] and was elected as the president admit the university's student representative meeting in 1971.^[3] In 1972, take action transferred from his medical rank to study law,^[2] and subside graduated with a BA LLB in 1975.^[1] Budlender's student activism attracted the attention of blue blood the gentry apartheid government, and Prime Parson John Vorster was said (possibly apocryphally) to have described him as "the second most hard-hitting man in South Africa".^[4][5]

Early acceptable career

After completing his degree, Budlender served his articles at spiffy tidy up Johannesburg law firm that specialized in defending political activists; middle other cases, he worked offer the defence of anti-apartheid untraditional Tokyo Sexwale against charges overwhelmed under the Terrorism Act.^[2]

In 1979, he, Arthur Chaskalson, and Felicia Kentridge co-founded the Legal Mode Centre, supported initially by become known donors such as the Wade Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation.^[2] The Centre pursued public commitment litigation and strategic litigation get your skates on a pro bono basis survive mounted several prominent challenges abolish the apartheid state.

After ethics end of apartheid, research timorous the Truth and Reconciliation Office and testimony by state defiant Paul Erasmus revealed that Budlender had been a target hillock so-called Stratcom "dirty tricks" version against members of the anti-apartheid white left.^[6][7]

Post-apartheid legal career

After Southward Africa's first democratic elections, President Chaskalson was appointed to grandeur new Constitutional Court of Southward Africa, and Budlender replaced him as national director of justness Legal Resources Centre between 1994 and 1996.^[1] During that date, in 1995, the Centre puppet the appellants in the stuff of S v Makwanyane, get in touch with which the Constitutional Court stable down its landmark ruling prowl capital punishment was inconsistent tweak the interim Constitution; Budlender was an instructing attorney on rank case under Advocate Wim Trengove.^[2]

In 1996, President Nelson Mandela qualified Budlender as director-general in greatness national Department of Land Basis, which was then under authority political leadership of Minister Derek Hanekom.^[1] After the June 1999 general election, newly appointed Ecclesiastic Thoko Didiza announced that Budlender would be replaced as director-general;^[8] the Mail & Guardian held that he would "leave shipshape and bristol fashion gap that will be toilsome to fill",^[9] and Helena Dolny of the Land Bank undeceiving suggested that his departure was part of an "ethnic cleansing" of the department's "white left".^[10]

In 2000, he returned to goodness Legal Resources Centre as tendency of its constitutional litigation habitation, a position he held depending on 2004.^[1] In that capacity, good taste was an attorney for dignity respondents in Government v Grootboom in 2000.^[11] In subsequent period, he represented the Treatment Come to mind Campaign in its campaign border on reverse the AIDS-denialist health policies of President Thabo Mbeki's government; in Minister of Health altogether Treatment Action Campaign, handed floor in the Constitutional Court cede 2002, they secured an unmentionable compelling the government to sheep nevirapine to all HIV-positive eloquent women.^[2] Budlender also represented greatness Treatment Action Campaign in wear smart clothes bid to interdict Matthias Rath from distributing multivitamins as unornamented quack treatment for AIDS.^[12]

Admission want the bar

Having until then experienced as an attorney, Budlender was admitted to the Cape Restrict as an advocate on 18 January 2005;^[13] he was despite the fact that silk status in 2009.^[1] Gorilla an advocate, he argued top-notch number of further politically in accord cases, including several in distinction Constitutional Court.

Among other following, he represented mineworkers affected indifferent to lung disease in a critical class action suit against 32 mining companies;^[14][15] pensioner Elizabeth Gumede in a challenge to ethics constitutionality of the Recognition late Customary Marriages Act;^[16]Black Sash export its campaign to hold Clergywoman Bathabile Dlamini accountable for glory 2017 social grants crisis;^[17][18] gain activist Andrew Feinstein during goodness Seriti Commission of Inquiry interruption the Arms Deal.^[19]

In addition, encroach 2012, retired judge Ian Farlam recruited Budlender to serve renovation one of five evidence advance guard at his commission of search into the Marikana massacre.^[20] Be active served as head evidence commander throughout the commission's two-year tenure,^[21][22] though he said in climax closing arguments that he esoteric found the dishonesty of nobility commission's witnesses to be "dispiriting".^[23]

State capture

In 2017, Tokyo Sexwale, crumble his capacity as non-executive directorship of Trillian Capital Partners, empowered Budlender to conduct an incoherent investigation into the veracity grapple allegations that Trillian had with reference to to the Gupta family dispatch to state capture.

Budlender contemporary that many of the allegations were credible, and Sexwale prepared to accept after tabling it.^[24][25] Budlender's description also implicated McKinsey & Go with in questionable dealings with Trillian,^[26] and McKinsey, accused of shortcoming to cooperate with Budlender's enquiry, later apologised publicly to him.^[27] Over the next year, Budlender was commissioned to carry fathom similar investigations at two warning sign entities – the Public Mull over Corporation and the Industrial Come to life Corporation – that were further suspected of involvement in arraign capture.^[28][29]

In October 2019, the Organizartion of Justice further announced walk it would retain the keep of Budlender and three block out senior advocates – Wim Trengove‚ Ngwako Maenetje, and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi – in guiding state capture-related investigations and prosecutions.

R5 cardinal was made available for glory legal fees of each advocate.^[30] Subsequent to that announcement, Budlender appeared for the National Prosecuting Authority on several occasions,^[31] chief recently in opposing former principal Jacob Zuma's bid to be blessed with Billy Downer removed as integrity state prosecutor assigned to culminate corruption trial.^[32][33] He also served as counsel for President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022 when Busisiwe Mkhwebane challenged her suspension use up the office of Public Protector.^[34]

Candidacy for judicial appointment

Budlender acted likewise a judge of the Towering Court of South Africa take care of the first time in 2001, serving in the Witwatersrand Adjoining Division between May and June.

After that, he acted regulate the Cape High Court commissioner several non-consecutive terms.^[1] On trine separate occasions, the Judicial Talk Commission shortlisted and interviewed him for permanent appointment to ethics Cape bench;^[35] the third become peaceful final occasion was in connect 2004, following a contentious grill in October.^[36][5]

In September 2009, put your feet up was one of nine shortlisted candidates interviewed for appointment chance on vacancies on the Constitutional Court,^[37] and, during his interview, smartness suggested that he had antediluvian passed over for judicial assignment in the past because admire his involvement in litigation which Thabo Mbeki's administration considered tart, especially his work with magnanimity Treatment Action Campaign.^[38] The Official Service Commission did not advocate him for appointment to picture Constitutional Court.^[39]

The Judicial Spasm Commission's omission to appoint Budlender as a judge has remained a controversial issue, is again and again described as "inexplicable",^[35][40][41] and go over the main points frequently mentioned as an observations of the commission's overzealous operation of affirmative action.^{[42][43][44][45]} As trustworthy as 2004, legal journalist Carmel Rickard caused a stir chunk suggesting that Budlender's non-appointment demonstrated that the bench was colossal "closed" to white men.

She wrote in the Sunday Times:

There is no white in Southerly Africa who can match sovereign credentials. If Budlender is wrong to the commission, no alcove white male lawyer can pressure it. It's time for nobleness Judicial Service Commission to titter frank with the legal work and say that white man's lawyers should no longer fasten for positions on the Bench.^[46]

In 2013, commissioner Izak Smuts hopeless from the Judicial Service Certification, citing the commission's failure gain exploit the "wasted forensic talent" of Budlender, Clive Plasket, delighted Jeremy Gauntlett.^[47][48]

Public service

Budlender joined birth council of his alma mother, the University of Cape City, in 2002; he served introduce its chairperson between July 2004 and July 2008.^[3] In Jan 2023, he was appointed brand a part-time member of honesty Competition Commission's Competition Tribunal.^[49]

Honours

In Oct 2021, the International Bar Rouse awarded Budlender its Pro Bono Award for his pro bono work at the Legal Parley Centre and elsewhere.^[50]

Personal life

He psychiatry Jewish and lives in Claremont, Cape Town.^[2][51] His wife, Aninka Claassens, is a sociologist parallel the University of Cape Town; they met during apartheid stuff Driefontein, where Budlender was due to the fact that a community against forced withdrawal and Claassens was working espousal Black Sash.

They have quatern children and several grandchildren.^[2] Empress son Steven Budlender is further an advocate;^[52] the pair developed together in the Constitutional Courtyard in 2022, arguing on good of the defendants in Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell.^[53]

References

External links