“I congratulate the Society of Law Teachers’ of Southern Africa for holding this important conference on legal education, justice and ethics. I am confident that your discussions were grounded in constitutional values and internationally recognised norms and standards. I welcome your commitment to enhance your skills to better educate your students and the wider society”, said former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem (Navi) Pillay at the Juta Gala Dinner on Wednesday, 8 July. The conference, hosted from 6-8 July by Varsity College, was attended by 254 law academics.
Pillay also emphasised the importance of both their teaching and research roles. “Law academics need to pay attention to the reality outside their campus. They need to listen to the voices on the street and inform themselves of the context in which they function”. She reiterated that whether academics teach tax and business law, family law or criminal law, they will be making their mark by spreading knowledge and awareness that South Africa’s constitutional values and international standards underpin all South Africa’s laws.
Fiona Kaplan, Head of the Varsity College School of Law, said: “It was wonderful to observe that the respective Deans are truly collective and how they engaged in fruitful discussions on key issues facing each of the law faculties in South Africa right now.”
During the conference, which was described as a huge success, delegates were addressed by several international and national esteemed speakers. These included Prof Jonathan Jansen and KwaZulu-Natal Judge President Achmat Jappie. A range of topical law issues were presented by law academics from universities throughout South Africa in the many parallel sessions held each day.
Two of a range of thought provoking papers that were presented, were UKZN’s Prof Nomthandazo Ntlama’s titled: The law of privilege and the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa’s National Assembly – The aftermath of the 7th of May 2014 National, where she expressed her views of the way the Speaker ‘managed’ the EFF in parliament and the paper of UFS’ Prof Bradley Smith titled: Surviving heterosexual life partners and the Intestate Succession Act 81 of 1987 - A ‘test case’ for the fashioning of an appropriate remedy where new inequalities are created by post 1994 constitutional jurisprudence.
Themed ‘Sustainability through Ethics’, the conference served as a platform for collaboration among law academics and the exchange of knowledge and sharing of ideas. Said delegate Prof Warren David Freedman (UKZN): “What I found most interesting was meeting with colleagues and learning about their latest research; how the age profile of legal academia is changing and of the very high standard of the level of work being done. This makes me confident about the future. Prof Jonathan Jansen’s presentation was very provocative.”
Dr. Nina Mollema said, “It was definitely one of the most organized conferences I have ever attended. I believe that the digital incorporation was what made the conference stand out. The web page was fantastic and informative. We felt like we were a part of the conference months before it started”.
The conference is held every 18 months. The next one will be hosted by North West University in January 2017.