In commemoration of our 1956 imbokodo and those manifesting, the Fearless Azanian Lawyers Association hosts a momentous Women’s Day Celebration including South African Black Women in Law(SABWiL) and Black Forum, featuring distinguished lawyers who offer profound insights into the role of women in the legal field. This discourse includes Candidate Attorney Shatedi Phoshoko, Attorney Connie Phakedi, Advocate Ayesha Tiry, and Advocate Christinah Noko-Molaudi. Our Mbokodo share unique experiences and perspectives on leadership, empowerment, and the ongoing quest for gender equality, underscoring the diverse ways women are reshaping the legal profession and addressing systemic barriers.

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download

A question was recently asked “Do you think we had a successful women’s month?” – with the events unfolding as it ends it is difficult to answer to the affirmative. As we’ve come to the end of Women’s month and the beginning of Heritage month it is with concern and heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of one of our sisters, Ms. Uyinene Mrwetyana.

BLA-SC recently held its National Gender Summit in collaboration with South African Black Women in Law (SABWiL), in the Human Rights Conference room on Constitutional Hill, on 31 August 2019. The theme had been #HushedHarassment – we spoke to the violence against our bodily integrity that are silenced by the power dynamics of our perpetrators and the silences imposed upon us by social constructs. The guest speakers were the founder of SABWiL, Adv. Tiry; the Vice President of the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA), Ms. Lenyai; and the Deputy President of Black Lawyers Association (BLA), Ms Baitseng Rangata spoke of personal experiences and the cruciality of speaking out. The need for us as student leaders, students and society at large continuously recurred as we reminded ourselves of the impact we need to effect in rebuking the violence, calling out this violence and protecting one another from this very violence.

To come from a summit of this nature only to hear that Ms. Uyinene Mrwetyana, a University of Cape Town (UCT) student, was violated and brutally ripped from this world just for being for being young, aspirant, lively, and a woman collecting a package from the Post Office in broad daylight – it is painstaking; striking fear and great worry for the society we live in.

BLA-SC is deeply appalled by the manner in which this young woman was abducted, raped and murdered in an establishment one would assume to be safe – the Post Office. When will such atrocities end? When will our sister be safe? When will our sisters stop asking #AmINext? When will women no longer need to send location, share route and make simple activities like going to collect a package a group activity? When will women stop fearing men – in and out of Women’s month?

It is time we held each other accountable – it is time that we call perpetrators to book through the various channels, that we report fellow students who violate us in our institutions of higher learning, that we report our educators, officials in our communities. It is too important that we continue to protect one another – that we share our location with those close to us, that we move in pairs and groups, that we have emergency contacts such as Namola on call. It is unfortunate that society has descended to this and it is aggrieving that there seems to be few avenues for a solution that will exhume us from this place – however we will keep fighting.

We call for better implementation of laws against Gender Based Violence. we call for higher security measures in institutions of Higher Learning and those which provide services, we call for improved response to matters of Gender Based Violence, we call for awareness campaigns against Gender Based violence, we call for the fall of victim blaming, and we so too call for better reprimanding of perpetrators causing such harm.

With time it is easier for rapists and murderers to walk freely in the streets, to attend classes, to go to work and to roam the malls than it is for women. The war against GBV has escalated and it is increasingly our responsibility to end it.

Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a difficult fight all the way to the last breath. Rest in Power Mbokodo, may justice prevail, may the war against GBV be won.

Aluta continua, victoria e certa,

Mr. Koketso Choeu
Spokesperson of the Black Lawyers Association Student Chapter
koketsochoeu@gmail.com
083 622 9406

On the 31 August 2019 the Black Lawyers Association Student Chapter (BLASC) and South African Black Women in Law Alumni (SABWiL Alumni) hosted a Gender Summit to close off Women’s Month at the Constitutional Hill Women’s prison.

Attendees at the Gender Summit sat and exchanged various stories of hushed and reported harassment of women and men in society and in the legal profession. In the day’s deliberations was the root causes of GBV as well as sexual harassment, and the possible ways we can combat it using the law.

Delegates of SABWiL NPC, Black Lawyers Association and the Law Society of South Africa advised members of BLASC and SABWiL Alumni to exercise respect for each other, to exercise caution and vigilance but most importantly to speak about GBV. Through the deliberations a huge highlight has to be one male attendee who asked if women are not inviting men to harass them by their sense of dress code and acceptance of gifts from men.

After the confirmation of the death of the late Uyinene Mrwetyana and the painful facts of her death, it is clear that women don’t have to do anything that will invite men to invade their privacy, by merely attending any place, even a government institution like a Post Office women are targets to GBV.

Another week of protests – Another week of wearing black! We live in an intolerable state. We cannot forgive and we cannot allow this country to move on, without men taking accountability for their actions, for their lack of respect for women’s constitutional rights to life, to dignity and freedom. The country’s government can offer little more than their hollow condemnation of the highly covered cases in the media. They take no responsibility for their inability to implement laws and keep South African women and children safe. We have spoken about it. The instance of GBV rises still!

On the 12 September 2019, Statistics South Africa released a report stating a 3,9 % increase on the number of reported rape cases. The South African Police Service have logged 443 387 reported rape cases over the past decade. A total of 2 771 women were murdered during the last 12 months. Recent cases of Violence Against Women and Children lay bare the crises in the Republic of South Africa.

There is a need for an improved discourse on the subject. In the words of UN Executive Director Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka “we are in a national crisis and we need our President and leaders to take extraordinary measures to scale interventions that will fast track the implementation of policies. We need resources to be allocated for these interventions to be properly executed”. WE NEED OUR LEADERS TO LEAD!!

The leadership of SABWiL Alumni echo the sentiments of the BLASC NEC:

1. We call for better implementation of laws against Gender Based Violence.
2. We call for improved security measures in institutions of higher learning.
3. We call for improved response to matters of GBV.
4. We call for awareness campaigns against GBV.
5. We say “No” to victim blaming.
6. We call for harsher penalties against perpetrators of GBV and Sexual Harassment.
7. We also call for the National Registry of sex offenders to be made public!

SABWIL ALUMINI stands in solidarity with all South African women and children. Our response will be to fight, in our homes, in our workspaces, religious spaces, out in public. We will fight with women and for women. We plead with South African men to turn the conversation to themselves and accept that it is them, their fathers, their brothers, their uncles, their friends that commit crimes against women and children. The longer we allow and create spaces for men to use hashtags such us #NotAllMen, the more mourning we will do. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Nthabiseng Motsie
Media and Public Relations Officer
Sabwilalumnus.mediaofficer@gmail.com
Mogowe Mangena
Academic officer
serepujane@gmail.com

This entails not only guidance to the organization, but as the definition explains research and a practical skill is necessary. At face value guidance or leading comes to mind. However, we realise that hard work is a critical component in leadership. There is work that needs to be done, and it needs to be done in a certain period of time.

A leader is in contrast to a boss. A boss tells you what to do, while a leader has to take inputs from his/her team into consideration. Firstly they must be at a position to grow. When one is at a position to grow, they understand and acknowledge that their ideas are not absolute. They are aware that conclusive ideas and constructive criticism will always be given by their team. This will result in a far richer output than as initially anticipated. This is the ideal leader which Martin Luther King, Jr refers to when he said ‘a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus’.

As the President, just like any of the alumni I had to go through the course of SABWiL Shadowing and SABWiL Human Rights Court. These are there two categories that realise one a SABWiL Alumni. When we speak of SS I know exactly what we are referring to. When we speak of SHRC I also know what the course entails. I am proud to have participated in both courses, as this has positioned me in a better place where I can advise our future alumni. 

As a leader of the organisation, I am aware that I have to put in more hours into the organisation. I have to step in and execute duties beyond my office. After all, it is well within my office to ascertain that the organisation is functioning properly and is not crippled. Like Nelson Mandela says: ‘it is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership’.

Perhaps those of us who are in leadership positions, need to critically evaluate ourselves. With that said; I would like to pose three questions to every leader out there.  Are we called leadership because we were elected? Are we called leadership because we are executing duties as per our offices? Or we called leadership because we have complied with all these criteria? Our answer needs to be yes to all three questions in the affirmative.

#Womandla

Madillo Mofokeng

President SABWiL ALUMNI.

06 March 2019