'A pillar of strength in the NPA': advocate Rodney de Kock dies of brain cancer

21 January 2025 - 11:21
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Advocate Rodney de Kock has died of brain cancer.
Advocate Rodney de Kock has died of brain cancer.
Image: NPA

Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions (DNDPP) advocate Rodney de Kock has died of cancer. 

His family said he was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer in early December, resulting in a rapid decline in his health.

He died at Morningside Mediclinic in Johannesburg on Monday surrounded by family and friends. He leaves behind two children and four siblings.

Family spokesperson Nazeem Mahatey said De Kock had a distinguished career in private practice as an advocate and in the management of the prosecutorial service.

De Kock articled at Wilkinson Joshua and Gihwalla in 1983, where he became a partner. He went on to serve as head of the Legal Aid Board Clinic at the University of Cape Town from 1994 to 1999, under whom numerous candidate attorneys completed their articles.

He was a founding member and served on the executive of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (Nadel) established in 1987.

He was also presiding officer in the Electoral Court in 1994 and in 1997 was appointed as a member of the Legal Aid Task Team which drafted South Africa's national public defender model. 

“After a luminary career, marked by an uncompromising dedication to justice, the democratic order and to his fellow citizens, his family and friends take great solace in knowing that Rodney served his country with unblemished integrity, dedication, honesty and humility,” said Mahatey. 

NPA national spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said De Kock assumed the position of DNDPP in June 2020 and joined the NPA executive team to contribute to the rebuilding of the entity after years of state capture.

“Before being appointed DNDPP, he was director of public prosecutions (DPP) in the Western Cape — the first black man appointed to the position of DPP in South Africa.”

Mhaga said De Kock devoted his life to fighting for justice and defending the democratic order. 

“The NPA leadership, NPA staff and colleagues in the criminal justice system will miss his passion for justice and the rule of law. DK, as we fondly called him, was a pillar of strength in the NPA.”

Former prosecutor and now DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said De Kock “dedicated his life to serving South Africans as a 'people's lawyer' in the truest sense.”

“A profoundly dedicated and decent man, his loss will be felt within the National Prosecuting Authority and the criminal justice system as a whole.”

The family said De Kock had many interests and talents. “He was a serious musician, having mastered the guitar and the saxophone. He was also a weekend motor mechanic and had a passion for spending time in the outdoors in the company of good friends.”

TimesLIVE


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