By Mapula Thebe

Busani Mabunda said as a past student of the school, who is the Co-chairperson of the LSSA and President of the Black Lawyers Association, this is a clear demonstration of the role the school has played and will continue to play in society.

The School for Legal Practice, which forms part of the Legal Education and Development (LEAD) arm of the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA), celebrated its 25 year anniversary with a dinner held in Johannesburg in September. The event was attended by judges, stakeholders, as well as instructors and former students of the school.

Welcoming delegates, Co-chairperson of the LSSA, Busani Mabunda, said that the LSSA saw it fit to note the contribution the school has made to the legal profession in the past 25 years by hosting the gala dinner. He added that the dinner served as an opportunity for all to reflect on the good work and the role the school has played in shaping the legal profession. Mr Mabunda also pointed out that the achievements of the school would not have materialised if it was not for the vision of the Chief Executive Officer of the LSSA and Director of LEAD, Nic Swart. Mr Mabunda went on to thank everyone who played a role in enabling the school to become a success, because he recognised that its success was a collective effort.

Speaking of himself as an example, Mr Mabunda said as a past student of the school, who is now the Co-chairperson of the LSSA and President of the Black Lawyers Association, this is a clear demonstration of the role the school has played and will continue to play in society. He said that there were many other examples of past students who now hold positions of power and have ascended to the judiciary, therefore, emphasising the importance of the school and highlighting the caliber of people it produces.

Chief Executive Officer of the Law Society of South Africa and Director of Legal Education and Development, Nic Swart, thanked all those who contributed to the school in the past 25 years.

The Chairperson of the Board of Control of the Attorneys Fidelity Fund (AFF) and former student at LEAD, Nonduduzo Kheswa, said, during her keynote address, that the AFF has been involved with legal education in the country by granting bursaries for students to complete their degrees. Ms Kheswa added that the AFF’s involvement with LEAD is by affording it funding for its operations, which has benefitted attorneys. She added that the school has assisted in achieving the goal of producing better attorneys for the country and this achievement should never be underestimated.

Ms Kheswa explained that the objective of the AFF is to protect the public against loss as a result of the theft of trust funds by attorneys, the school has assisted in achieving this goal by producing credible attorneys, which the public can use with confidence.

Former student of the school and Chairperson of the Board of Control at the school, Kabelo Seabi, said that he was one of the first students that attended the school. Mr Seabi noted and appreciated Mr Swart’s sacrifice over the years. Mr Seabi added that the importance of the school can be seen by the quality of students who have come through the school.

Mr Swart thanked all the people with a passion for education that he has encountered during the years.

Mapula Thebe NDip Journ (DUT) BTech (Journ) (TUT) editor of De Rebus.

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2015 (Nov) DR 12.