About
Hendrik van Nieuwenhuizen
Hendrik van Nieuwenhuizen is an advocate of the High Court of South Africa, practising at the Johannesburg Society of Advocates since 23 January 2006. He is a member of The Protea Group, and sits regularly as Acting Judge of the High Court.
Hendrik specialises in anything but criminal law, family law or PIE evictions.
Practice
Mainly commercial, construction, insurance, and general litigation; and pro bono and Constitutional law.
He has appeared in 5 matters in the Supreme Court of Appeal and 1 in the Labour Appeal Court without a leader.
Education & qualifications
- B.Com (Law) — Rand Afrikaans University (now UJ)2003
- LLB — Rand Afrikaans University (now UJ)2004
- Practical Legal Training (with distinction) — Law Society of South AfricaBest performance — Wills, Estates and Trusts2005
- Certificate in Mediation — University of Cape Town
Career path
- Articles: Sulaiman 'Solly' Adam at Van Nieuwenhuizen, Kotzé & Adam Attorneys
- Pupillage: Under EL (Etienne) Theron (now SC) at the Garden Group (now The Protea Group).
- Admitted as advocate: 23 January 2006.
- JSA membership: Since 23 November 2006.
- 2003B.Com (Law)RAU (now UJ)
- 2004LLBRAU (now UJ)
- 2006Admitted as advocate23 January · TPD
- 2020Acting Judge — first sittingGauteng Local Division
Career timeline spans 17 years from 2003 to 2020.
Acting Judge of the High Court
Hendrik has served as Acting Judge of the High Court of South Africa across 4 sittings, presiding over opposed motion, urgent, trial, unopposed motion and special interlocutory rolls in the Gauteng Local Division (Johannesburg) and Gauteng Division (Pretoria).
- Gauteng Local Division (Johannesburg)12 October 2020 — 16 October 2020
- Gauteng Division (Pretoria)9 November 2020 — 13 November 2020
- Gauteng Local Division (Johannesburg)2 August 2021 — 6 August 2021
- Gauteng Local Division (Johannesburg)30 January 2023 — 24 February 2023
Reported judgments rendered as Acting Judge are listed at Reported judgments.
Arbitral appointments
- Six-day commercial arbitrationAugust 2017 — February 2018
Award of 89 pages, which withstood a subsequent review application.
- Default awardDecember 2017
- LPC-appointed arbitrator (pending)since February 2023
The subject of an appeal on the ripeness of the dispute to be arbitrated.
Pro bono & public-interest work
"Pro bono and Constitutional Law, of which I shall forever be proud of my contribution towards: those less fortunate; the children of South Africa; and all South Africans suffering from terminal ailments."
The most public examples of this work are the constitutional right-to-die matters of Stransham-Ford and Walter & Harck.
Bar service
Active service to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates through three of its committees:
- HRCHuman Rights Committee
- BLCBar Library Committee
- JCACJudicial Candidates Assessment Committee
Memberships
- Johannesburg Society of Advocates
- The Protea Group
- 3 Protea Place, Sandton
Reported judgments & matters
The full citation list of reported judgments — both as counsel and as Acting Judge — is at Reported judgments. Selected matters are discussed in depth at In-depth matters.