Last year as most of us were winding-down our practices to look forward to the festive season, we learned of the tragic passing of one of our beloved members Andrew Kemack SC.
Andrew, his wife and mother-in-law passed away on 18 December 2025 in a fatal head-on collision. He was a respected member of Group One. His passing came as a devastating shock to our members.
Andrew was described in an outpouring of tributes including by Deputy Judge President Sutherland on behalf of the judges of the Gauteng Division as “a sound lawyer and advocate” and that “to have him appear before us was always a pleasure”. In another tribute by retired Judge Neil Tuchten, Andrew is described to have lived by the unwritten code to which they aspired in a century past of: “Professional ruthlessness but never gratuitous cruelty, unfailing courtesy to all with whom he came into contact, judges, witnesses, opponents, even clients and attorneys, exhaustive (in his case sometimes exhausting) preparation, a scrupulous adherence to the truth and a belief that some stratagems, while arguably legal, did not advance the interests of justice, were beneath him and should not be employed.”
On Friday 23 January 2026, our members gathered in the Group’s common room, The Bailey, to have a tea function in honour of Andrew where Fiona Southwood SC delivered a warm tribute to Andrew in a style he would have absolutely loved and appreciated and one that truly honours his memory.
The Group also hosted a special Whisky Wednesday on 28 January in honour of Kemack as one of its initiators, where guests shared humourous anecdotes on Andrew’s quirkiness and great sense of humour, most notably, on the clever responses Andrew (as a junior) gave to Mr Justice Geoffrey Leveson in a crowded motion court! Andrew’s son, Saul, graced both events.