The School of Law hosted an international conference and workshop celebrating the 40th anniversary of Street Law and over 50 years of Clinical Legal Education at UKZN and in South Africa.
The conference was championed by Dr Janine Hicks, assisted by Professor David McQuoid-Mason and a conference committee consisting of staff and students from UKZN and representatives of the University of Potchefstroom, the Durban University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and the University of the Witwatersrand.
It was attended live and virtually by over 120 delegates from South Africa and eight African countries.
Keynote speakers included:
*Retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, who was South Africa’s first African Chief Justice, an alumnus of UKZN and Director of UKZN’s Campus Law Clinic for six months.
*Professor Penny Andrews, the first full-time Secretary of the Campus Law Clinic, a UKZN alumnus, former Dean of the Albany Law School in New York, and the Director of New York Law School’s Racial Justice Project.
*Attorney Mr Gregory Nott, who was attached to the Campus Law Clinic as a Law student, and has been helping (Pro Bono) South African Olympic champion athlete Ms Caster Semenya since she was a teenager. Nott interviewed Semenya virtually for the conference delegates and together they described their journey which culminated in the European Court of Human Rights victory over the International Athletics Association’s restrictions on Semenya’s ability to compete as a female athlete.
Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) President Professor Siva Sivakumar said the historic conference celebrated two remarkable milestones which were not merely anniversaries in numbers but landmarks in the continuing struggle to reshape the teaching and practice of law as instruments for justice, equality and empowerment.
Said Sivakumar: “This conference provided us with the space to exchange experiences across continents, to listen and learn from each other’s innovative practices, and to chart fresh paths forward. My hope is that the conversations which began here will continue, shaping the next generation of legal educators and advocates for justice.”
South African University Law Clinics Association (SAULCA) President Mr Daven Dass said that amid the positive and progressive reflection and being mindful of both the international, regional and domestic socio-political and economic parameters, there were challenges faced by university law clinics.
“Diminishing clinical funding, faculty, increased student numbers, appointment, promotion and retention of clinical staff and clinical programme support against the backdrop of the academisation of clinical legal education are in many instances threatening the very sustainability of university law clinics,” said Dass. “The passion, energy and progressive collaboration that bore testament to the establishment of university law clinics need to now feature in addressing what I term as the next wave of clinical legal education. I am confident that as we come together to share our experiences and engage on our challenges our collective efforts could be the much-needed catalyst for support to law clinics.”
One of the conference’s highlights was the cultural evening organised by McQuoid-Mason during which delegates were asked to dress in traditional clothing from their region or country and to engage the audience in a song, a poem or a story from their country or region.
The Dean and Head of the School of Law Professor Freddy Mnyongani said the conference had offered an important opportunity to reflect on commitments, share innovations, and explore possibilities for collaboration in building a more just society.
“Both Clinical Law and Street Law were introduced during a period marked by systemic human rights abuses in South Africa. Much has since changed – not only in our country, but across the region and the world. Yet these programmes remain as relevant and vital as ever,” added Mnyongani.
Words: NdabaOnline
Photographs: Andile Ndlovu