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Advocate Andries Daniel Olivier

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Capacity: Advocate
Admitted as Advocate: April 1998
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Date of Birth: February 1968
Qualifications: B.Iur (1990) LLB (1997) (University of the Free State)

Key Judgments:

 

Candidate Biography | August 2026:

Advocate Andries Daniel Olivier is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and a Member of the Northern Cape Society of Advocates.

With a legal career spanning over three decades and a unique blend of public service administration, corporate labour management and High Court litigation, Advocate Olivier has shown a deep, practical understanding of the law through his legal practice.

Olivier pursued his tertiary legal studies at the University of the Free State, where he obtained his B.Iur degree in 1990 and his LL.B in 1997. He began his professional career in 1990 as a Legal Administrative Officer for the Department of Correctional Services. Over the course of thirteen years, he rose through the ranks to serve as the Provincial Head of Legal Services and the Provincial Head of Labour Relations. Alongside his public service duties, he shared his expertise with the next generation of legal practitioners by lecturing part-time in contract law and labour law at Technikon OFS from 1996 to 2003.

In May 2003, Olivier transitioned into the corporate sector, joining SEESA as a labour legal adviser and later serving as its Provincial Manager until December 2008. His persistent passion for courtroom litigation eventually led him to the Bar. Having been admitted as an advocate in 1998, he completed his pupillage with the Northern Cape Society of Advocates in 2009 and entered full-time private practice in January 2010. Over the years, Olivier has built a diverse practice focusing on general civil litigation, commercial, administrative, family and labour law.

Olivier’s extensive judicial preparation includes various terms as an Acting Judge of the Northern Cape High Court, where he served between August 2023 and June 2026. During the four stints he spent at the High Court, he presided over civil trials, motion proceedings, criminal trials and appeals, producing several notable judgments.

In the reported matter of ABSA Bank Limited v Saunderson, Olivier was tasked with applying the newly amended summary judgment rules under Rule 32 of the Uniform Rules of Court. He delivered a thorough and legally rigorous judgment, analysing whether the defendant’s answering affidavit raised a bona fide (good faith) defence and met the heightened requirement to state the material facts with sufficient specificity. Olivier concluded that the defendant’s assertions were vague and sketchy, ultimately granting summary judgment in favour of the bank.

In Smith N.O. v Van Der Ryst, Olivier presided over a complex insolvency dispute where the trustees of an insolvent estate sought security for costs from the respondent, who had challenged the validity of creditor claims. Olivier ordered the respondent to furnish security in the amount of R150,000 to ensure that the insolvent estate did not suffer from meritless litigation and to ensure access to court.

Most recently, in Sol Plaatje University v T&M Moyo Projects (Pty) Ltd, Olivier handled a contract dispute arising from a catering services agreement. He was faced with applications to set aside late-filed exception notices. Olivier dismissed the university’s application to set aside the exception as an irregular step and condoned the defendant’s delay. Emphasising the Constitutional Court’s statement that ‘the rules of Court [should be] used as tools to facilitate access to the Courts rather than hindering it’, he also provided a thorough ventilation of the real legal issues between the parties.

Taking into account his substantial acting experience, his well-reasoned written judgments and his extensive administrative and corporate background, it will be interesting to see how Olivier’s dual experience in public service and private practice shapes his interview.