NWU hosts very successful judges’ congress

The North-West University’s Potchefstroom Campus was again inundated with

compliments after they helped with the organising of the International Association of Women Judges’ annual congress. The congress attracted notable people such as the premier of the North-West Province, Thandi Modise, South Africa’s deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, the director general of justice and constitutional development, Nonkululeko Sindane and the presiding judge of the constitutional court, Yvonne Mokgoro, to the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus.
  Several critically important issues came under discussion. Judge Moseneke made a sensational statement and said that about 90% of all complaints against legal officers relates directly to verdicts that were not delivered punctually. He is of the opinion that the delay in verdicts leads to injustice.
  In turn, Nonkululeko Sindane said that the number of women on the bench in South African courts should double in the near future to reflect race and gender realities. This corresponded well with this year’s congress atmosphere, where the focus was on equal access to training. Sindane said that, since 1980, gender equality and the empowerment of women have been one of the United Nations’ preferences. She also added that transformation of the legal system, especially concerning better representation of women of colour, is necessary to fully realise constitutional values.
  Sindane appealed to women in the legal profession to also make themselves available to act in acting capacities, because it enhances the eventual appointment of women in such positions, especially since there are not enough women in general, and black women in particular, available for acting positions.
  Prof Francois Venter, dean of the Faculty of Law at the NWU Potchefstroom Campus, is of the opinion that there is a significant increase of women in the legal profession. “Already since 2005 more women than men have been accepted as attorneys. It is good to see that more and more women are interested in the law.”
  He praised the congress’ initiative and said that public conferences of judges rarely occur. “This past conference of women judges, jointly hosted by the Faculty of Law of the Potchefstroom Campus of the NWU and the South African branch of the IAWJ (International Association of Women Judges), was therefore an exceptional opportunity to discuss matters regarding administration of justice in general, and the relationship between judicature and academics.”
  He says that the interaction between legal academics and administrators of justice was mutually stimulating and conducive to future cooperation. “Since nearly all law students have the prospect, in their professional lives, to appear before judges and magistrates, it is particularly valuable for the teaching situation to narrow the distance between legal theory and legal practice within the framework of jurisprudence. The Faculty is set on giving its students increasing exposure to the bench and to encourage judges and magistrates to deliver inputs of jurisprudence outside the administration of justice.”