Former Judge Willem Heath (79) died in Cape Town. His son Marius announced his father’s death to SABC News. The family has requested seclusion and will deliver a statement today, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Heath, who was born in 1945 in Boksburg, completed his studies at the University of Pretoria and graduated with two degrees.
He received two legal degrees: an LLB in 1968 and a BA in law in 1966.
Before beginning his own private practice as an advocate in Pretoria, he started his career as a prosecutor.
He was chosen by former president Nelson Mandela in 1995 to lead the Health Commission of Inquiry into corruption and poor governance in the Eastern Cape, a position he held until 1997.
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Up until 2001, Heath oversaw the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) following the commission.
He founded Heath Executive Consultants, a company that provides forensic investigation and legal counsel, after leaving the SIU.
Those involved in protracted political disputes were among his most well-known clientele.
Among the notable individuals he collaborated with was the late mining tycoon Brett Kebble.
In the criminal case concerning Kebble’s father, Roger, Heath intervened, focusing on the role played by the private security firm Associated Intelligence Network.
Roger was placed under temporary custody for fraud after he contacted the security firm, whose investigations resulted in Roger’s eventual release.
Using his position of power as a judge, Judge Heath steadfastly maintained his clients’ innocence, a tactic he also employed while defending the troubled former president, Jacob Zuma.
In 2005, after Zuma was charged with corruption, Heath stated that Zuma had requested him to ‘advise him on the merits of the case against him.’
He had advised Zuma and then the ANC on how to respond to the charges.
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