Editorial
| Published date | 07 October 2019 |
| Date | 07 October 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-04-2019-0030 |
| Pages | 593-594 |
| Author | Barry Rider |
Editorial
A gentleman and scholar- but much more!
Since the launch of the Journal of Money Laundering Control some 21 years ago, sadly a
number of people to whom this publication is indebted have passed away.However, from a
very personal standpoint, as founding andgeneral editor, the person who contributed most
to the journal is our dear friend Professor Johan Henning, who died on 12 October 2018 in
Bloemfontein,South Africa.
While I did communicate with Johan back in the early 1980s, when South Africa was a
very different place than it is today and part of my responsibilities at the Commonwealth
Secretariat involved assistingin the policing of the embargo against his government, it was
in Cambridge that I first got to know him well. Johan, alreadya Professor of Mercantile Law
at the University of the Free State and a member of the highly respected StandingAdvisory
Committee on Company Law, became a frequent visitor and an occasional lecturer at the
University of Cambridge.Indeed, Johan became something of a bridge in all matters relating
to business law, and in particular its dark side, between the Commonwealth and South
Africa. Johan’s detailed and topical knowledge of corporate law and partnership law was
rooted in his classical legal studies in Germany, The Netherlands and, of course, South
Africa –fed by an appetite secondto none to learn more about the law in other jurisdictions,
ranging from the USA –including many of its states –to China. Indeed, his standing and
knowledge of law in both the USA and China was specifically acknowledged both
academically and by the professions.
Johan’s passion for making the law work better –particularly in the new South Africa–
led to his being actively involved in law reform not only in his own jurisdiction but also in
many others, including the UK. For a decade, Johan was Directorof the Centre for Corporate
and Partnership Law at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. He was also involved in
advising and supporting law reform in jurisdictions as diverse as, for example, Japan,
Norway and Lesotho. Over the years,Johan held numerous visiting and guest appointments
at many universities around the world. He always contributed to the scholarly tenor of any
course or programme he participated in. He always appreciated, particularly in the more
applied areas of legal study, the very real and valuable contribution that practitioners can
make to the academy and was therefore an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of the
Society for AdvancedLegal Studies, of which he became an honorary fellow.
Johan held many prestigious positions within the University of the Free State and was
Dean of the Faculty of Law for, it seemed, decades. Johan played a major role in the
transition of the University and in particularits Faculty of Law from the character of the old
South Africa to the new. PresidentMandela received one of his many honorary doctorates in
law, from the Free State, on Johan’s proposal. Not only has there been an impressive
transformation in Bloemfonteinbut Johan also encouraged and supported other law schools
throughout the Republic to followsuit. He always supported his students and his perception
and frankly devotion, to fosteringtheir potential has ensured the quality, that has long been
associated with his Faculty,is now found in many other schools in the region and elsewhere,
as well as in practice and increasingly on the bench and in government. The transition
generation in South Africa found a strong champion in Johan, and this has laid the
foundation for far-reachingchanges in the institutions of the legalsystem.
Johan, although primarily an academic, had practised, law and in the early years of his
career was an official in the Department of Justice and the military. He retained throughout
Editorial
593
Journalof Money Laundering
Control
Vol.22 No. 4, 2019
pp. 593-594
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1368-5201
DOI 10.1108/JMLC-04-2019-0030
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