Wim Trengove SC is a South African advocate best known for his role in the development of South African Constitutional

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

and his involvement in high-profile political cases.

Career

Wim Trengove has litigated many of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

's most important human rights questions, including arguing for the successful abolition of the death penalty in ''

S v Makwanyane ''S v Makwanyane and Another'' (CCT 3/94) was a landmark 1995 judgement of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. It established that capital punishment was inconsistent with the commitment to human rights expressed in the Interim Constitut ...

'', arguing against discrimination on the basis of HIV status in ''

Hoffmann v South African Airways ''Hoffmann v South African Airways'' is an important case, heard by the Constitutional Court, in South African labour and constitutional law. Hoffmann argued that he had been unfairly discriminated against on the ground of disability, due to ...

'', arguing for the protection of sex workers' labour rights in ''Kylie v CCMA'', arguing for the restitution of land and mineral rights to groups dispossessed during

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

in '' Alexkor Ltd v Richtersveld Community,'' and arguing for the roll-out of anti-retroviral treatment for HIV patients in ''Minister of Health v Treatment Action Campaign.'' Trengove also argued numerous constitutional questions in South Africa's

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

, including the certification of the constitution itself. Trengove also represented mineworkers in a class action to claim damages from mining companies for damages due to the widespread contraction of silicosis; the $400 million settlement in favor of the miners was the largest in South African history. Trengove has been active in high-profile political cases, representing former president Nelson Mandela, including in his divorce from

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...

, leading the prosecution of former president Jacob Zuma on charges of corruption, and representing President

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...

in his dispute with the Public Protector. Trengove was outspoken about the National Prosecuting Authority's decision in 2008 to withdraw the corruption charges against Zuma, criticizing the decision at a public lecture at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, where Trengove is an honorary professor.

Personal life

Trengove was born to

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

parents in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

. Trengove's father, JJ Trengove, was a barrister and judge in South Africa's apex Supreme Court. Trengove studied law at the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trengove, Wim 20th-century South African lawyers 21st-century South African lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Pretoria alumni