UFH and Black Lawyers Association strengthen relations

Last year, the University of Fort Hare through its Faculty of Law signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Black Lawyers Association (BLA) to help bolster its efforts in training final-year students in trial advocacy, case analysis and how to lead evidence. The training is provided by facilitators from the BLA- Legal Education Centre which comprise Judges, Advocates and Attorneys.

Furthering this solid foundation, members of the BLA descended on the East London Campus recently to donate books to the UFH Legal Aid Clinic. The books are an expansion of the knowledge wealth the Clinic is mining to assist its processes and achieve its mandate to broaden the base for access to justice for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. In practical terms, the books are used as reference material such as statutes and other legislative prescripts that are used by Legal Professionals.

The Director of the Legal Aid Clinic, Mr Siyabulela Pango – an avid former Acting Magistrate, said: “This donation forms part of our building blocks to becoming a fully-fledged Legal Aid Education Clinic that is rated amongst the best in the country."

Accompanied by his National Executive entourage, the President of the BLA,  Advocate Bayethe Maswazi emphasized that: “This donation is not just for its namesake but a bid to continue with our transformation endeavours in the Legal Profession. Being a former Law Student and a graduate of a previously disadvantaged university, I know the struggle of having limited reference material and resources required to prepare one to be a modern-day Legal Practitioner."

Adv Maswazi was accompanied by Mr A Pakade, Adv M Mhlanti, Ms N Sotenjwa and Adv L Mnctosho-Boya.

The Law Faculty is well known for producing legal eagles such as Nelson Mandela which the Law school is named after, Oliver Tambo, Robert Sobukwe and many more. Through the advent of its Decade of Renewal project, the university is making headway toward its vision of being a distinctive African University and continues to produce graduates who become leaders in their respective professions.