Wessel Groenewald Boshoff QC (15 May 1916 – 22 March 1989) was a South African judge, Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa and Judge of Appeal.

W. G. Boshoff
Judge of the Appellate Division
In office
1985–1986
Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa
In office
1976–1985
Preceded byP. M. Cillié
Succeeded byH. H. Moll
Judge of the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa
In office
1957–1976
Personal details
Born
Wessel Groenewald Boshoff

(1916-05-15)15 May 1916
Amersfoort, Transvaal, Union of South Africa
Died22 March 1989(1989-03-22) (aged 72)
Pretoria, Transvaal South Africa
CitizenshipSouth African citizenship
Alma materUniversity of Pretoria
ProfessionAdvocate

Early life and education

edit

Boshoff was born in Amersfoort in the Transvaal Province of the Union of South Africa. He received his schooling at Pretoria Boys High School and at Selborne College in East London. After school he studied law at the University of Pretoria, where he obtained the degrees BA and LLB.[1]

Career

edit

Boshoff practised at the Pretoria Bar from 1940 until 1957. In 1957, he became a puisne judge of the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa, and in 1976, was appointed Judge President of the Transvaal Division. In 1985, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of South Africa, where he served as appeal judge until his retirement.[2][3]

Notable cases

edit

Boshoff was the presiding judge in the so-called Little Rivonia Trial, in which several members of the armed resistance organization Umkhonto we Sizwe faced charges of sabotage.[4] In 1985, Boshoff ordered the South African Medical and Dental Council to hold an inquiry into the conduct of the two doctors who treated Steve Biko during the five days before he died, as he found that there was prima facie evidence of misconduct by the doctors.[5]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Who's Who of Southern Africa including Mauritius 1967. Johannesburg: Combined Publishers (PTY) Limited. 1967. p. 156.
  2. ^ "Supreme Court of Appeal: History". www.supremecourtofappeal.org.za. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Appèlregters tree af [Appellate judges retire]" (PDF). Consultus. 1 (2): 27. 1988 – via General Council of the Bar of South Africa.
  4. ^ O'Malley, Padraig (2007). Shades of difference. Mac Maharaj and the struggle for South Africa. New York: Viking. pp. 137–146.
  5. ^ "South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid". overcomingapartheid.msu.edu. Retrieved 29 March 2021.