NATIONAL NEWS - Condolences have been pouring in following the death of well-known retired Judge Jan Combrink, who died on Wednesday afternoon.
His son, Laurence Combrink, said a number of people have referred to his father as a legend of his time because of the work he had done and his passion for law.
He said many judges, advocates and other people held him in high regard.
His absolute love for people is one of the things that people will remember him for. He listened and respected everyone regardless of their race or anything else.
Combrink, who grew up in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert, retired seven years ago when he was 78 years old.
He stayed in the province for the case of the cash heist gang, well-known as “KZN 26”, who were part of two robberies involving Fidelity Guards near Kwambonambi on the N2 in 2006.
Laurence said after his father finished the trial, the gang asked to speak to him.
They actually thanked him for a fair trial. That’s the kind of person my father was, that even a notorious gang was able to thank him for being fair.
He said Combrink finished his LLB degree in Potchefstroom and became a state advocate.
He was later moved to KZN from Pretoria to learn English since he couldn’t speak the language as an Afrikaans man.
He continued to stay in the province because he loved it and became one of the best advocates. He became a judge in 1989.
Retired senior advocate, Dorian Paver, said Combrink was endowed with gifts which set him apart from normal folk. He added he was privileged to appear before him during his tenure as a judge.
He had the resource of endless patience and possibly the most prodigious memory of any person I have encountered. He had no need for a law library, it was all stored in his outstanding mind.
As a judge he treated all who appeared before him with respect and dignity. He tolerated in the most amiable way the foibles of those who were wont to bumble. He went out of his way to promote collegiality particularly when we were doing duty in a circuit court.
He added that Combrink never held himself out to be so important that one could not approach him.
He said he truly believes that justice was done without fail in his court and that his judgments were always the product of intense deliberation and were models of judicial craftsmanship.
Lorna Skead, who worked with Combrink for 23 years, said he was one of the smartest men she knew and he was truly one of the best judges of all time.
He was loved by all and any legal practitioner who knew him would say that he taught them so much and commanded their respect with his knowledge of the law, among other things.
She said he was a humble man and his passion was law, fishing and hunting. She said he was her mentor, best friend and was like a father to her.
