Pierre de Vos: speaking constitutionally

Abstract

Pierre Francois de Vos matriculated from Pietersburg High School in Pietersburg (now known as Polokwane). In an interview in 2012 he describes his childhood as 'lonely': I was a lonely child (laughs), yes. Although I had four sisters, they often did their own thing and my parents mostly worked or they were busy with other things, busy coping with the world, so I often had to entertain myself. I would make imaginary radio programmes on a tape recorder, I would go and play outside and pretend I'm the rugby commentator, or a cricket commentator, all on my own. So I was, in a way, quite lonely, ja. In any case, it wasn't as if politics was the kind of thing that you could speak to with other children, because they would think it was weird, they already thought it was weird that I read novels and poetry. Only sissies read novels and poetry. De Vos obtained BComm (Law), LLB and LLM (cum laude) degrees from Stellenbosch University, another LLM from Columbia University, and an LLD in 2000 from the University of the Western Cape with a thesis titled 'Sexual Orientation, the Right to Equality and South Africa's 1996 Constitution'. He is an Afrikaans speaker but does not identify as an Afrikaner. He identifies as white, gay and atheist. His background in law and his life experience infuse all of De Vos's academic work. He makes the Constitution more accessible to those without a qualification in law.