Pretoria High Court Judge Johan Els died when his car veered out of control and overturned outside Polokwane on Friday morning, Limpopo police said.
Superintendent Mohale Ramatseba said Els died on the scene of the accident, 20km outside Polokwane, at 6.30am.
The 74-year-old was alone in his Mercedes-Benz, and it was not immediately clear what caused the accident.
Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe paid tribute to Els, whom he described as a specialist criminal-law judge.
”In Judge Els we have lost a good judge,” he said. ”Soft-spoken and always calm, he would ensure that once a trial started before him, it was finalised as soon as possible. He was thorough and meticulous in his work.”
Ngoepe said Els had served as a judge for a long time and had been looking forward to retiring in a few weeks.
He said it was the second judge the Pretoria High Court lost in recent weeks. On April 17, Judge Essop Patel died after a long battle with cancer. — Sapa