Johann Kriegler
Encyclopedia
Johann Christiaan Kriegler (born 1932) is a former Constitutional Court
and Appeal Court
judge from South Africa
.
in 1949. He then attended the South African Military Academy
for two years. He studied law at the University of Pretoria
and the University of South Africa
. After obtaining his LLB degree in 1958, he was called to the Johannesburg Bar in 1959.
He drafted the constitution of the Christian Institute, became National President of Verligte Aksie and founding Chairman of Lawyers for Human Rights. For some years he served on the Transvaal Board of the Urban Foundation and from 1978 to 1988 was a founding trustee of the Legal Resources Centre
.
Between 1976 and 1983 Judge Kriegler served intermittently as an acting judge and in 1984 was appointed to the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court. Between 1990 and 1993 he acted in the Appellate Division and was permanently appointed to the bench there in 1993. In December 1993 he was appointed Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission whose task it was to deliver South Africa's first elections based on universal adult suffrage.
On 10 March 1994, president Lucas Mangope
took a hardline stance, rejecting Judge Johann Kriegler's plea for free political activity in the homeland, and firing the staff of the Bophuthatswana
Broadcasting Corporation, closing down two television stations and three radio stations.
In 1999 after months of fighting over the way South Africa's second post-apartheid election should be run, Kriegler resigned. He said he found "the load" of being both chairman of the commission and a justice of the Constitutional Court "increasingly heavy." He had repeatedly complained of a lack of financing for his agency and criticized the Government's decision to require voters to get new identity documents before registering. The new requirements were opposed by the two major white political parties and the Inkatha Party.
He is currently a Board Member of the University of South Africa Law Faculty, Board Member of the University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights
, and a trustee of a number of charitable trusts.
In 2008, Kriegler led a commission recommending reforms to the electoral
process in Kenya
following the crisis
after the 2007 presidential election
.
He is married and has six children and twelve grandchildren.
Constitutional Court of South Africa
The Constitutional Court of South Africa was established in 1994 by South Africa's first democratic constitution: the Interim Constitution of 1993. In terms of the 1996 Constitution the Constitutional Court established in 1994 continues to hold office. The court began its first sessions in February...
and Appeal Court
Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa
The Supreme Court of Appeal is an appellate court in South Africa; it is the highest appeal court except in constitutional matters, which are ultimately decided by the Constitutional Court...
judge from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Early life
Born in Pretoria, he matriculated at King Edward Vll School in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in 1949. He then attended the South African Military Academy
South African Military Academy
The South African Military Academy is based on similar principles as that of the Military Academy system of the United States , and was established on 1 April 1950 under the auspices of the University of Pretoria, as a branch of the South African Military College in Voortrekkerhoogte...
for two years. He studied law at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
and the University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
. After obtaining his LLB degree in 1958, he was called to the Johannesburg Bar in 1959.
Life
He served three times as Chairman and Secretary of the Johannesburg Bar Council, and as Secretary of the General Council of the Bar of South Africa.He drafted the constitution of the Christian Institute, became National President of Verligte Aksie and founding Chairman of Lawyers for Human Rights. For some years he served on the Transvaal Board of the Urban Foundation and from 1978 to 1988 was a founding trustee of the Legal Resources Centre
Legal Resources Centre
The Legal Resources Centre is a human rights organisation based in South Africa with offices in Johannesburg , Cape Town, Durban and Grahamstown...
.
Between 1976 and 1983 Judge Kriegler served intermittently as an acting judge and in 1984 was appointed to the Transvaal Provincial Division of the Supreme Court. Between 1990 and 1993 he acted in the Appellate Division and was permanently appointed to the bench there in 1993. In December 1993 he was appointed Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission whose task it was to deliver South Africa's first elections based on universal adult suffrage.
On 10 March 1994, president Lucas Mangope
Lucas Mangope
Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope is the former leader of the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana and current leader of the United Christian Democratic Party, a minor political party based in the North West province of South Africa....
took a hardline stance, rejecting Judge Johann Kriegler's plea for free political activity in the homeland, and firing the staff of the Bophuthatswana
Bophuthatswana
Bophuthatswana , officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana was a Bantustan – an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity – and nominal parliamentary democracy in the northwestern region of South Africa...
Broadcasting Corporation, closing down two television stations and three radio stations.
In 1999 after months of fighting over the way South Africa's second post-apartheid election should be run, Kriegler resigned. He said he found "the load" of being both chairman of the commission and a justice of the Constitutional Court "increasingly heavy." He had repeatedly complained of a lack of financing for his agency and criticized the Government's decision to require voters to get new identity documents before registering. The new requirements were opposed by the two major white political parties and the Inkatha Party.
He is currently a Board Member of the University of South Africa Law Faculty, Board Member of the University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights
Centre for Human Rights
The University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908 and consists of five academic departments, six centers, a law clinic and it's own publisher the Pretoria University Law Press...
, and a trustee of a number of charitable trusts.
In 2008, Kriegler led a commission recommending reforms to the electoral
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
process in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
following the crisis
2007–2008 Kenyan crisis
The 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis refers to a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis that erupted in Kenya after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential election held on December 27, 2007. Supporters of Kibaki's opponent, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic...
after the 2007 presidential election
Kenyan presidential election, 2007
A presidential election was held as part of the Kenyan general election on December 27, 2007; parliamentary elections were held on the same date. Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner and sworn in on December 30, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claims of victory...
.
He is married and has six children and twelve grandchildren.