OD11 digital HR - Flipbook - Page 85
OBITUARIES
1990
1994
STAFF
CUTURI Francois (S),
mining industry
contractor, in Chingola,
Zambia, 16 July 2024
MAXEBENGULA Victor
Lulamile (W), customer
service professional, in
Cape Town, 15 August 2024
EMMS Hunter, son of head of English Barry Emms,
in Cape Town, 14 November 2024
1991
2015
BAX Michael Raymond (B),
software engineer, 2024
DE KOCK Nicholas (G),
entrepreneur, in Stellenbosch,
23 October 2024
ALEXANDER
“ZANDY”
BICKET
(1956-2024)
Zandy Bicket
(1973S) was
a respected
Common Pleas Court judge in
Pennsylvania. Originally from
Scotland, he and his twin brother
Nicky (1973F) were raised in South
Africa. After emigrating to the US
and earning his law degree from
Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,
Zandy embarked on a distinguished
legal career. In 2011, Governor Tom
Corbett of Pennsylvania appointed
him to the Allegheny County
Common Pleas Court, where he
presided over high-profile cases
with impartiality and compassion.
Zandy’s reputation for fairness
and dedication to justice extended
beyond the courtroom, making him
a trusted figure in Pittsburgh’s legal
community. Beyond his professional
accomplishments, he was known
for his kindness, humility and
commitment to those he served and
mentored. His passing is deeply felt
by his wife, Susan, and his children,
Ian and August, as well as by his
brother Nicky and all who knew him.
We send our deepest condolences
to them.
For the full obituary and a tribute
by lifelong friend Anthony Gibson
(1973S), visit odunion.com. A column
FOURIE Steyn, Bishops Prep Afrikaans
teacher 1974-1995, in Strand, 8 October 2024
(see page 84)
by Zandy, on how he became a criminal
court judge in the US, appeared in
Issue 5 of The Old Diocesan.
JAMES
SELFE
(1955-2024)
Pretoria-born
James Selfe
(1972F) came
to Bishops Prep
in 1964 and stayed, as a boarder, to
his post-matric year in 1973. A master’s
degree in political studies led directly
to a lifelong career in politics, which
spanned the final decade of the
apartheid regime and culminated
in 27 years spent serving South
Africa’s new democracy.
James’s service was marked by his
work in the Constitutional Assembly,
which makes him an exceptional
“originalist” – a title reserved for
“Our class at Bishops
was a very political one –
probably my oldest friend,
Rob Adam, was imprisoned
in the early 1980s for
furthering the ends of the
ANC; others in the class
joined the SACP, COSWAR
and even the AWB!”
–James Selfe
the select few who played a formative
role in shaping South Africa’s
democratic Constitution; who
participated in the first democratic
Parliament; and who, in James’s case,
continued to serve until poor health
forced his retirement in 2021.
His parliamentary career was
no less important than his career
in opposition politics. From 1988,
he was communications director
of the Progressive Federal Party,
continuing in that role when the
PFP became part of the Democratic
Party. In 1992, he became its executive
director. Elected to the Senate (later
the National Council of Provinces)
in 1994, he moved in 1999 to the
National Assembly. Following the
DA’s inception in 2000, he served
as chair of its federal executive until
2019. Re-elected to the National
Assembly in 2004, he became
the opposition spokesman on
correctional services.
James’s assured influence at the
top rungs of opposition politics may
be measured, superficially, by the
numbers: from just seven MPs in 1994,
the DA has grown to be represented
by 85 today. What is more striking
is the admiration and affection with
which he was considered by his
colleagues. From within his own
party, he was lauded by Tony Leon
as “one of a tiny handful of truly
indispensable people in leadership
roles”. From across the divide, thenANC Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina
THE OLD DIOCESAN | 83
