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George Bizos talks about his memories of Nelson Mandela on July 10, 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / City Press / Lucky Nxumalo)
Human rights defender George Bizos has died at the age of 92, “peacefully at home from natural causes” surrounded by family, according to a statement from the Legal Resource Center.
George Bizos was born in 1928 in Kirani, Greece, and arrived with his father in South Africa, at the age of 13, as a refugee from World War II. He then studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and was admitted to the Johannesburg Bar in 1954.
That marked the beginning of a legal career that was truly remarkable, not only in the courtroom, but also in its reflection of South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy.
Bizos’s commitment to human rights and following the 1994 South African Constitution – he helped to draft the country’s supreme law – held firm as he continued to practice law after his retirement.
A lifelong friend of Nelson Mandela, whom he met during his studies, Bizos helped defend Madiba, alongside Govan Mbeki and Walter Sisulu, as part of the Rivonia Trial team.
He also appeared in numerous investigations into deaths in custody during apartheid, including those of Neil Agget, Ahmed Timol, and Steve Biko.
In the Truth and Reconciliation Commission he served, among others, the families of the leader of black conscience Steve Biko and the Cradock Four – Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli – to oppose the amnesty requests of the apartheid agents.
In democratic South Africa, Bizos, as part of the Legal Resource Center, appeared before some of the mining workers’ families at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry into the police killing of 34 miners on August 16, 2012.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the death of Bizos during an interaction with the National Publishers Forum of South Africa.
“This is a very sad moment for our country,” he said, recounting Bizos’ poor health during an interaction with him two months ago.
“The news is sad for us as South Africans. George Bizos is one of those lawyers who contributed immensely to the achievement of our democracy … “
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola paid tribute to Bizos’ lifelong commitment to human rights.
“Attorney Bizos was a selfless servant of the law and we owe him a great thank you.”
The executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Neshaan Bolton, described Bizos as “an imposing giant” in the fight for the liberation of South Africa in a tweet:
“Now all of the Rivonia testers are joined by the latest member of their legal team. Hamba kahle, Uncle George. “
Bizos practiced as a lawyer until 1990. A year later he joined the Legal Resource Center as a lawyer in its Constitutional Litigation Unit.
In 1999, then-President Mandela awarded him the Class 2 Meritorious Service Order, while in 2001 he received the International Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Bizos is survived by three children and seven grandchildren. DM
