Legal Trailblazers

Judge Ngoepe was admitted as an attorney on 16 June 1976. He jokingly tells Thuto that his admission sparked the Soweto uprisings. Judge Ngoepe also tells us why judges need to be attuned to the cultural and religious beliefs and practices of the parties that appear before them in court.

Dr. Matthews Phosa is an entrepreneur, lawyer, and poetry writer. In this episode, Dr Phosa talks about his role in the negotiations with apartheid's ruling party that preceded the adoption of the South African Constitution.

In this episode, Judge Phineas Mojapelo, the now-retired Deputy Judge President of the High Court, tells Thuto about the first meeting of the Judicial Services Commission in 1994 and the heated discussions held there about the form and nature of a new judiciary in South Africa. He also unpacks the evolution of African indigenous law and its role in a constitutional democracy.

ex-Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke chats to Thuto about the Africanist lawyer Godfrey Pitje who used his legal expertise to keep the liberation fires burning from the 1960s to the 1990s after the liberation movements had been banned in South Africa. He was instrumental in the formation of the Black Lawyers Association and was its first president.

In this episode, Judge Phineas Mojapelo, the now-retired Deputy Judge President of the High Court, tells Thuto about the first meeting of the Judicial Services Commission in 1994 and the heated discussions held there about the form and nature of a new judiciary in South Africa. He also unpacks the evolution of African indigenous law and its role in a constitutional democracy.

Amanda Cornwall, an Australian woman, tells us about her work at the Black Lawyers Association in apartheid South Africa and her confrontation with its unjust laws.

The daughters of the late Advocate Nokwe, Nomvuyo Nokwe and Nosizwe Nokwe, tell Thuto about their father as a family man and lawyer practising law in the 1950's and 1960's, his role in the liberation struggle, and the international respect he commands even after his death. They also regale us about his friendship with Advocate George Bizos, the late human rights lawyer.

Today Thuto talks to Ms Desiree Finca, a former domestic worker, from the Transkei, who became the first African woman to be admitted as an attorney. She joined GM Pitje’s practice as a partner. Shortly thereafter, there was a relative flourish as a number of African practitioners were admitted within the old Transvaal during the 1960s through to mid-1970s. Black Lawyers Association · Lexis...