Speaker, the ACDP learnt with great sadness of the death of former Chief Justice Pius Langa, and we would like to again convey our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
As other speakers have pointed out, he was one of the first judges appointed to our Constitutional Court after 1994 and was the Chief Justice from 2005 until his retirement in 2009. He played a crucial role in laying the foundations of our young constitutional democracy and continued to promote the independence of the judiciary as one of the main cornerstones of our democracy. During his term in the courts and after his retirement, he worked tirelessly building a nonracist, nonsexist and just society founded on the values of human dignity and equality, as set out in the Constitution and the rule of law.
I had firsthand experience of Chief Justice Langa's vast experience and sharp intellect during the groundbreaking certification case heard over a number of weeks before the Constitutional Court in 1995. I also had many opportunities to interact with him on the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, when we discussed matters of legal concern. He was chiefly often concerned about access to justice. I always found him to be extremely courteous, but also very concerned and firm on those issues which were of concern to him.
He also presided over a very important case involving the ACDP's right to contest the 2006 local government elections in Cape Town. This was an extraordinary case, as the court agreed to sit after hours on an urgent basis and found in our favour, again delivering a very urgent judgment. This showed his commitment and that of those other judges of the Constitutional Court to uphold justice. This judgment is widely used to assist political parties when the Independent Electoral Commission does not allow them to contest elections for administrative reasons.
I joked with him a while later, after that judgment, when he was in Parliament with the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, that I was preparing our next urgent application. He naturedly appreciated that jest and welcomed our further application.
At his funeral in Durban his daughter Phumzile Langa said, "He was a generous man. He loved each and every one of us. We were blessed to have him." She described her father as a private man who loved to dance and sing. "He was the one we ran to since our mother passed away. We felt safe with him. He was the one who loved us." She said she was thankful that God had blessed the family with him.
We in the ACDP are thankful that God blessed us and the nation with such a Chief Justice who leaves a rich legacy as a constitutional jurist for generations to come. Our prayers are with his family and friends during this time of bereavement. May his soul rest in peace! I thank you.