Insolvency attorney Bouwer van Niekerk appeared to have been assassinated for doing his job. To his friends, he was loyal, kind, loved to debate and was deeply committed to justice.

Insolvency attorney Bouwer van Niekerk appeared to have been assassinated for doing his job. To his friends, he was loyal, kind, loved to debate and was deeply committed to justice.

Bouwer van Niekerk, the insolvency attorney who was recently killed in what appeared to be a targeted attack, has been remembered by his friends as being far more than the work he diligently performed.

They described a loyal father and friend, a man of principle who retained his sense of justice, dedication to his work and love for his country in the face of grave threats.

"I've never, ever, in the 40 years that I've known him, seen such softness and such kindness as I did when he spoke to his son," said Gerrit Wagner, who had known Van Niekerk for most of his life.

Having both attended Paul Roos Gymnasium with Van Niekerk, as all his friends who spoke to Daily Maverick had, Wagner remembered his late friend as a man of high principle, fierce intelligence and utterly loyal to his family, his friends and his country.

Van Niekerk was the latest victim in a litany of fatal attacks against lawyers, auditors, whistleblowers, public servants and anti-corruption advocates in...