Constitutional lawyer and conflict resolution specialist Nicholas “Fink” Haysom has died, with the UN leading tributes to its senior diplomat.
Haysom, born in April 1952, represented the UN in different roles after serving as chief legal and constitutional adviser to then president Nelson Mandela from 1994 to 1999
He led a project helping to draw up Iraq’s transitional constitution. He was also involved in the UN committee negotiating a new Burundi constitution‚ and served the UN in countries including Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan‚ Burma‚ Indonesia‚ East Timor‚ Sri Lanka and Colombia.
Haysom, a married father of five, studied at the University of Natal and University of Cape Town (UCT). In 2012 he received an honorary doctorate from UCT.
The former National Union of South African Students (Nusas) president first made headlines in the fight against apartheid. According to the Sunday Times archives‚ he was detained without trial in 1976‚ 1978 and 1980 — the last time for five months. He was served with a banning order that put him under virtual house arrest for two years until 1982.
He cut his teeth in what he called “the low-trust world of mediation” in Thokoza on the East Rand‚ where he negotiated a truce between warring hostel dwellers and ANC-aligned residents. He then honed his skill in negotiations for an interim and later final South African constitution.
The UN mourns the loss of a remarkable colleague, friend and mentor. The legacy of Nicholas Haysom will endure in the peace processes he advanced, the institutions he strengthened, and the principles he helped bring to life around the world
— UN secretary-general António Guterres
Haysom wrote on constitutional, human rights and related matters in academic publications and was co-author of Fundamental Rights in the Constitution: Commentary and Cases.
He was a recipient of the South Africa Playwright of the Year award (1987).
Colleague, friend, mentor
UN secretary-general António Guterres described Haysom as a “tireless peacemaker and steadfast champion of the values of the UN”.
“Mr Haysom devoted his life to justice, dialogue and reconciliation,” the UN chief said, including “years of leadership in UN posts in some of the world’s most complex and fragile settings.”
Guterres said Haysom always combined deep legal insight with sound political judgment, and always focused on improving the lives of ordinary people wherever he served.
“The UN mourns the loss of a remarkable colleague, friend and mentor. The legacy of Nicholas Haysom will endure in the peace processes he advanced, the institutions he strengthened, and the principles he helped bring to life around the world,” the secretary-general said.
One always knew he would do the right thing even when it was not the easiest or most popular thing to do. Regardless of his brilliance and the seriousness of the tasks at hand, he was also great fun to be around. He always had time for other people
— Zelda La Grange, Nelson Mandela’s former personal assistant
Haysom was “a formidable man who lived for democracy“, said Mandela’s former personal assistant Zelda La Grange.
“Very few people in SA and Africa can claim to have done more for peace on this continent than what Fink Haysom did,“ she said.
He was among those who Mandela always depended on and used as a proxy in negotiations such as Burundi ”with complete confidence in his ability and attitude towards the matter”.
La Grange said: “One always knew he would do the right thing even when it was not the easiest or most popular thing to do.
“Regardless of his brilliance and the seriousness of the tasks at hand, he was also great fun to be around. He always had time for other people.
“Madiba would sometimes get a second or third legal opinion from Fink on almost any matter, even very personal of nature. Fink tried many times to tell us he no longer worked for us and speaking to him, calls would sometimes be interrupted by the sound of gunfire in the background as he found himself close to the frontlines of conflict.
“He is a man who truly believed negotiations and peace should be the only solution to conflict and dispute. A great humanitarian by heart.”
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