By Barbara Whittle
Justice Department Director General, Vusi Madonsela, attended a meeting of the Briefing Patterns Action Group, coordinated by the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA), at the end of September. Fruitful discussions were followed by a commitment to close cooperation between the Action Group and the Justice Department, particularly with regard to the sharing of relevant information and input into various policies and protocols that are being drafted by the parties.
Representatives of the Action Group had met earlier with Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Dunstan Mlambo, to engage on the important perspectives of the judiciary regarding briefing patterns in the courts. The Judge President provided important insight into trends in representation in the Gauteng courts. Action Group representatives also met with the Administrator of the Safety and Security Seta (SASSETA), Jennifer Irish-Qhobosheane, to discuss access to research and funding. A workshop was planned for October, to agree on a framework for cooperation between SASSETA and the Action Group.
LSSA Briefing Pattern Action Group members were joined at their meeting in September by Justice Department Director General Vusi Madonsela. Front: Anthea Platt SC; Mr Madonsela; LSSA Co-chairperson Mvuzo Notyesi; Action Group chairperson, Busani Mabunda; LSSA Chief Executive Officer, Nic Swart. Back: Ishmael Semenya SC, Richard Scott, Varsha Sewlal from the Justice Department; Briefing Pattern Action Group project leader, Dr Tsili Phooko; and Legal Education and Development senior manager, Ogilvie Ramoshaba. Dion Masher, Thandi Norman SC and Sam Mufamadi SC were not able to attend the meeting, but are also members of the Action Group.
Barbara Whittle, Communication Manager, Law Society of South Africa, barbara@lssa.org.za
This article was first published in De Rebus in 2016 (Nov) DR 24.
