Personal details

Johan Froneman was born in 1953 and grew up on a farm in the Eastern Cape Province. He started his schooling there in Cathcart and matriculated from Grey College, Bloemfontein in 1970. He is married to Sonette, an attorney, and they have two daughters, Karen and Ingrid. Their family home is in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape.

Education

Justice Froneman obtained a B.A. degree from the University of Stellenbosch in 1974 and a LL.B degree from the University of South Africa in 1977.

Professional history

After completing his pupillage at the Pretoria Bar he commenced practice as an advocate at the Eastern Cape Bar in Grahamstown in 1980. He obtained Senior Counsel status in 1990 and was appointed as a judge to the Eastern Cape High Court in 1994. In 1996 he was appointed as Deputy Judge President of the newly established Labour and Labour Appeal Courts, a post he held until 1999. In 2002 he acted for two terms in the Supreme Court of Appeal. In October 2009 Justice Froneman was appointed to the Constitutional Court.

Other activities

Froneman was an extraordinary professor in public law at the University of Stellenbosch from 2003 to 2008 during which he participated in the specialised LL.M course in Human Rights by way of annual seminars. During periods of judicial leave he attended Harvard University (1999) and the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University (2008) in a visiting capacity. He has been involved in judicial training for new judges over a number of years and has also participated in practical training courses for magistrates, attorneys and advocates.

Publications and talks

Justice Froneman has given a number of public lectures and talks at academic and professional conferences. Articles of his have appeared in academic and professional publications.