Advocate Andre Hurtley Gaum

Advocate André Hurtley Gaum obtained the BA, (Law) LLB and LLM (in Constitutional Law) degrees from the University of Stellenbosch. He was admitted as an Attorney and thereafter as Advocate of the High Court of South Africa.

Advocate Gaum’s work relating to the Constitution of South Africa started at its inception, when he was involved in an advisory capacity in the final stage of the negotiation process that led to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996. He has been a member of the Joint Constitutional Review Committee from 1999 to 2000, 2005 to 2009 and 2011 to 2014.

Advocate Gaum began his legal career as a State Prosecutor in 1992 and in the same year moved to the Office of the State Attorney, where he was involved in litigation on behalf of the state. He worked as a Legal Advisor from 1995 to 1999, whilst he served as a Stellenbosch Municipal Councillor. Advocate Gaum served as Legal Advisor to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in 2010 and most recently served as Parliamentary Liaison officer to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, liaising between the Deputy Minister’s office and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Home Affairs and providing advice on legal, legislative and policy matters.

Advocate Gaum has also served at legislative and executive level at both provincial and national level. He was a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament from 2001 to 2004 and was a Member of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa from 1999 – 2009 and end 2010 – May 2014, serving as a member of the National Assembly Portfolio Committees for Education, Safety and Security, the Rules Committee and Joint Rules Committee, amongst his many other duties.

Advocate Gaum also served as MEC for Education in the Western Cape Provincial Government and in former President Kgalema Motlanthe’s government as Deputy Minister of Education.