By Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele

The Law Society of South Africa’s Legal Education and Development department launched a ‘Making a Difference’ campaign (MAD) at its ten centres of the School for Legal Practice as part of the School’s social responsibility programme.

The School for Legal Practice in Cape Town embarked on a winter clothing drive which entailed collecting clothes and blankets and presenting them to a local shelter called the Haven Night Shelter in May 2014.

The School’s director, Gail Kemp, says that the project was adopted to assist the homeless on the Cape Flats who face the ‘notoriously harsh Cape winter’. The Haven Night Shelter was chosen because it operates in closed proximity to the School and services the disadvantaged, poor communities from the Cape Flats and townships.

Meanwhile, candidates at the School for Legal Practice in Polokwane provided legal advice to the Moletji community situated some 20 km from Polokwane. The School’s director, Molatelo Mashabane, said that topics discussed included:

• the different matrimonial systems in South Africa;
• the implications of not registering customary marriages;
• maintenance;
• Road Accident Fund claims; and
• criminal court procedures such as pre-trial, trials and sentencing.

Ms Mashabane said that the students participated extensively in the programme and showed a great interest in dispensing legal knowledge.

The event was hosted in partnership with the Commission for Gender Equality and was attended by Moletji Tribal councillor Kgosi Moloto.

Ms Mashabane said that Mr Moloto expressed the view that communities needed more events such as these.

Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele, nomfundo@derebus.org.za

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2014 (July) DR 11.