Quartus de Wet
Encyclopedia
Dr. Quartus de Wet South African judge-president of the high court of the Transvaal
.
Born in 1899 in Pretoria
, he was the son of Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet
, Chief Justice
of South Africa
and acting Governor-General and Ella Scheepers (his first wife), who is reputed to have composed the popular Afrikaans song Sarie Marais
during the Anglo-Boer War.
He obtained a law degree in 1922 and was admitted as an advocate
(the South African equivalent of a barrister
) to the bar
of Pretoria the same year. He became a judge of the Transvaal in 1950, and he became the judge president of the high court of the Transvaal in 1961.
He is famous for presiding over the 1963 Rivonia Trial
of Nelson Mandela
and other anti-apartheid activists. During the Rivonia Trial, De Wet sentenced Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists to life imprisonment
instead of a possible death sentence
, for sabotage
as a result of the trial. He retired in 1969.
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
.
Born in 1899 in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, he was the son of Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet
Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet
Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet was Chief Justice of South Africa and acting Governor-General from 1943 to 1945.Born in 1873, he obtained a law degree from the University of Cambridge in 1895 and was admitted as an advocate in 1896...
, Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of 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...
and acting Governor-General and Ella Scheepers (his first wife), who is reputed to have composed the popular Afrikaans song Sarie Marais
Sarie Marais
Sarie Marais is a traditional Afrikaans folk song, created during either the First Anglo-Boer War or the Second Anglo-Boer War . The tune was taken from a song called Ellie Rhee dating from the American Civil War, and the words translated into Afrikaans...
during the Anglo-Boer War.
He obtained a law degree in 1922 and was admitted as an advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
(the South African equivalent of a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
) to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
of Pretoria the same year. He became a judge of the Transvaal in 1950, and he became the judge president of the high court of the Transvaal in 1961.
He is famous for presiding over the 1963 Rivonia Trial
Rivonia Trial
The Rivonia Trial was a trial that took place in South Africa between 1963 and 1964, in which ten leaders of the African National Congress were tried for 221 acts of sabotage designed to overthrow the apartheid system.-Origins:...
of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and other anti-apartheid activists. During the Rivonia Trial, De Wet sentenced Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
instead of a possible death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
, for sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
as a result of the trial. He retired in 1969.