I combine legal excellence with public service, defending free expression and constitutional rights in South Africa’s highest courts while contributing to policy, academia, and public debate.

I am an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar and have practised law for over fifteen years, specialising particularly in constitutional law, human rights, and the difficult boundary between freedom of expression and hate speech. I have appeared in both the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court and have been involved in several significant free-speech cases.

My work extends beyond the courtroom. I have made submissions to Parliament on hate speech legislation and to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. I regularly appear in the media discussing constitutional and human-rights issues.

I am the executive director of the Free Speech Union of South Africa. I also serve as President of the Institute of Race Relations, South Africa’s oldest classical liberal think tank, and on the Council and Academic Freedom Committee of the University of Cape Town. Alongside this work, I co-host Brain in a Vat, a philosophy podcast that has conducted more than 200 interviews with academic philosophers around the world.

I believe I was nominated because I have tried to combine professional excellence in law with a broader commitment to public service and the defence of constitutional democracy.

One of the most significant cases I have run was the hate speech litigation concerning the EFF, Julius Malema, and the “Kill the Boer” chant. It raised fundamental questions about where a constitutional democracy should draw the line between protecting freedom of expression and protecting people from genuinely harmful speech. The case ultimately became part of an international discussion about South Africa and race relations, including in the Oval Office.

Beyond individual cases, I have tried to contribute to the institutions and ideas that sustain a free society: through the IRR, UCT, parliamentary and UN submissions, public commentary, and my philosophy podcast. I would hope the award recognises not simply professional achievement, but a willingness to use professional expertise in the service of difficult and sometimes unpopular principles.

Professionally, I want to continue working at the intersection of law, policy, and ideas. I hope to litigate important constitutional cases, contribute to the development of free-speech jurisprudence, strengthen institutions committed to liberty and open inquiry, and increasingly bring South African experience into international debates about freedom of expression. Personally, I want to retain the curiosity and creativity that drew me to philosophy, law, and artistic projects in the first place, while creating sufficient space for family, friendships, and a life beyond professional achievement.

For South Africa, my hope is for a confident, prosperous, non-racial society in which people are treated as individuals rather than representatives of racial or political groups. I want to see a country governed by the rule of law, with strong institutions, a growing economy, excellent education, and a culture in which disagreement is answered with argument rather than censorship or intimidation. South Africa should become a country defined by its possibilities rather than its problems.

Recreational activities

Philosophy Podcaster