Biography: Mining

Willem obtained his B Iuris and LLB degrees from the University of Pretoria and was appointed a state advocate in 1976. He joined a large Johannesburg firm of attorneys in 1981 and was a director of that firm from 1984 until 1993, when he co-founded Brink Cohen Le Roux.

Willem specialises in occupational health and safety law, litigation, administrative and environmental law. He has represented mining interests at the Leon commission concerning health and safety in the mining industry. Willem has advised mining houses and the Chamber of Mines on health and safety legislation, including the recent attempt to introduce corporate homicide in the South African law. He has assisted employers in conducting health and safety audits. He has appeared for mining houses and corporations in the chemical, metal and other industries at very prominent inquests, inquiries and litigation. Such matters include large seismic events and falls of ground, furnace explosions, the Merriespruit Slimes Dam disaster and flammable gas explosions in mines on the West Rand, Rustenburg area and the Free State. By far the most extensive inquest/inquiry concerned the Vaal Reefs loco accident in 1995, in which 104 workers died, where he represented Vaal Reefs. He has represented employers in claims for damages based on lung diseases, an inquiry into manganism and acts at present on behalf of one of the world's largest gold mining companies in silicosis litigation.

Willem has since 1993, in conjunction with an international publishing company, annually presented seminars on occupational and mine health and safety. He is the author of Mine Health and Safety Law, an authoritative loose leaf publication which is published by LexisNexis.