The Deputy Chairperson of the National Forum on the Legal Profession (NF), Max Boqwana, with the Chairperson of the NF, Advocate Kgomotso Moroka, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha and the Executive Officer of the NF Charity Nzuza, briefing media and outlining the election process for the Legal Practice Council.

By Kgomotso Ramotsho

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha, has announced the commencement of the nominations for the election of the South African Legal Practice Council (LPC). At a press briefing held in Pretoria on 4 September the Executive Officer of the National Forum on the Legal Profession (NF), Charity Nzuza, outlined the process of the elections. Ms Nzuza said the NF has appointed the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) an electoral statutory body to administer the elections of the LPC.

Ms Nzuza said nominations for the LPC will open on 5 September and close on 14 September. She added that after the nominations have been received and verified by EISA, ballot papers will be sent out to all legal practitioners. Ms Nzuza stated that voting for the LPC will commence on 19 September and close on 30 September. Ms Nzuza stressed that all ballot papers must reach the EISA office by midnight on 30 September. She pointed out that the voting process will be communicated to legal practitioners via notices with the information on where the ballot papers will be placed.

Ms Nzuza said that the votes will be counted on 3 and 4 October and after a verification of the results, the chairperson of the NF and the referee will be notified. She added that the elected council members will be notified by 5 October.

Nomination forms can be found on the websites of the following organisations –

• the Department of Justice;
• the Law Society of South Africa;
• the General Council of the Bar; and
• the four statutory provincial law societies, namely the Cape Law Society, the Law Society of the Free State, the Law Society of KwaZulu-Natal and the Law Society of the Northern Provinces.

Mr Masutha said the LPC, which by law must be established by 1 November, will exist as a national regulatory body with provincial structures throughout the nine provinces. The provincial structures will be established after the national body has been finalised.

Kgomotso Ramotsho Cert Journ (Boston) Cert Photography (Vega) is the news reporter at De Rebus.