Female legal practitioners attended the ‘Breaking Boundaries Brunch: A Celebration of African Women in Law and Justice,’ hosted iKamva Initiative, an initiative of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Faculty of Law. The event was graced by the Deputy Judge President of the Free State Division of the High Courts, Martha Mbhele, who delivered the keynote address.
The iKamva Initiative, an initiative of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Faculty of Law, hosted the ‘Breaking Boundaries Brunch: A Celebration of African Women in Law and Justice,’ on 30 August 2025. In her opening remarks, Professor Puseletso Letete briefly explained that the iKamva Initiative, which celebrated its first anniversary in August, aims to develop young emerging female legal practitioners ‒ mainly black female students, who form the majority ‒ by providing them with support and mentorship. She added that the programme also aims to influence change at UJ to ensure that female law students are afforded similar opportunities, such as work readiness and work placements. She pointed out that the initiative will include women working in the faculty, to ensure that the environment allows for them to be able to ascent to other higher academic career opportunities. ‘But not only that, but also to ensure that they are prepared to take leadership roles within the faculty, but also with the university at large.’
Prof Letete said that transformation remains an issue in South Africa, and the legal fraternity is not exempt from this. She added that the initiative also aims to influence the Legal Practice Council (LPC) on key issues of transformation. She said over the five-year period in which they are allocated a grant, the faculty will measure its progress by tracking the number of students developed through mentoring, and placements undertaken in partnership with other institutions. They will also assess many academics who have been promoted from positions such as, lecturer to senior lecturer, and eventually to professor level. Prof Letete revealed that she is the only female professor in her faculty after being employed with UJ for three years.
Prof Letete pointed out that there are not enough young academics for lecturer level. She said there must be a pool where they can get people to fill such positions. She added that one of their partners on the iKamva Initiative is WOZA Leadership Academy, which is an organisation that is passionate about mentorship and work readiness. WOZA will be responsible for placing students at workplaces, to ensure that they get work experience. Other partners include the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ), and others.
Deputy Judge President of the Free State Division of the High Courts, Martha Mbhele delivered the keynote address. She said the topic was close to her heart, firstly because she is an African woman and a legal practitioner with roots in community service, and that she has benefited from work done by her colleagues and predecessors. ‘I benefit from the hard work that was put in by those that came before me, and I am so grateful for it,’ Deputy Judge President Mbhele said. She pointed out that only 102 years ago, women were allowed to practice law in South Africa. She pointed out that it was unimaginable that women can practice law.
Deputy Judge President Mbhele added that 69 years ago, thousands of women stood up, risked everything, and said, ‘not in my name.’ She said 69 years later South Africa stands in a time that might seem hopeless; however, one should never forget the strides that women made and benefits that are enjoyed from their sacrifices. She touched on the history of the first woman who was appointed as a judge in 1969, and went on to share that in 1967, Desiree Finca was appointed as the first black female legal practitioner. ‘Today, we are delighted to have our first woman Chief Justice, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya,’ Deputy Judge President Mbhele added. ‘These are just a handful of historical and contemporary examples of women who broke and continue to break barriers and have made it possible for us to be legal practitioners. I cannot imagine what would have happened to us had the first women not taken steps and challenged the system. We continue to reap the benefits,’ Deputy Judge President Mbhele added.
Deputy Judge President Mbhele added that women were shut out of being legal practitioners just because they were women, and that the society saw them as lacking and unable to be legal practitioners. She pointed out that at all levels of the judiciary women make up almost 50% in a country that continues to strive for gender equity and equality. ‘As women legal practitioners who are in different stages in our careers, we do not only exist to feel content, but we are also entrusted by the public to ensure that we apply the law and contribute to its advancement and jurisprudence. So that the citizens and residents of our country benefit from its protections,’ Deputy Judge President Mbhele added.
Deputy Judge President Mbhele said female judges do not just merely understand the law and hand down judgments. ‘We are central in ensuring that justice is not only served but it is also long lasting, intersectional and intergenerational,’ Deputy Judge President Mbhele added. She added that no person can say that the law has not impacted them. She pointed out that everyone is impacted by law in everything that they do. She added that the work of the law is never complete, as there are new laws implemented, and ultimately the law is the only tool that can be used to radically change the lives of people.
During the fireside chat, legal practitioner and former Chairperson of the LPC, Kathleen Matolo-Dlepu, shared the journey of Molefe Dlepu Incorporated and how they ran the firm during South Africa’s transition to democracy, particularly as a women-led law firm. Ms Matolo-Dlepu pointed out that she decided after passing her Bar examinations that there was a need for a female-led law firm. She added that together with her counterparts they knew that female candidate legal practitioners and young legal practitioners were given less opportunities. Together with the other ladies they decided they needed a female-led law firm that would mainly focus on mentoring female candidate legal practitioners, so they do not go through the same challenges as them.
Ms Matolo-Dlepu said one must be intentional, purposeful and resilient. She added that although opportunities were limited in the past, many women now have a lot to offer. ‘Make sure whatever you do, you have to succeed,’ Ms Matolo-Dlepu added. Talking about her role as the first chairperson of the LPC, Ms Matolo-Dlepu pointed out that women organised themselves and voted for her, she said that she was humbled, because men would never vote for a female to be their leader. She added that women leaders have to be intentional and ensure that they uplift other women. She pointed out that after having been elected as the chairperson, she wanted structures. She said her first committee was the transformation committee, which was led by woman. She pointed out that this was the beginning of changing the status quo to make sure each committee was led by women. ‘One of the dreams I had, was to transform this profession, and that is how the Legal Sector Code came to be,’ Ms Matolo-Dlepu added.
Legal practitioner, Deborah Raduba, spoke about why she chose to be a legal practitioner who focuses on public interest law. She pointed out that she was raised to be compassionate. She said she was not sure what she was going to do as a legal practitioner, until she heard how the law could be used as a tool to change people’s lives. ‘I wanted to do that, and I was intentional and wanted to pursue a career in human rights and find ways to be able to change people’s lives within the law. I must speak about how, in every case, a black woman is always impacted at the very bottom, the most marginalised. Having that intentionality of trying to find how the law can be used to improve a woman’s life is something to be intentional about and I am grateful for the opportunity to use the law as the tool to change a black woman’s life,’ Ms Raduba said.
Ms Raduba added that it is the difference between life and death for informal traders, domestic workers, as well as waste reclaimers. She pointed out that it is important for their rights to be realised so that they can put food on the table. When asked about what can be achieved when litigation, research and advocacy are combined in the pursuit of social justice, Ms Raduba responded that it is important to combine all three, as it eases the burden on legal practitioners. She pointed out that when using the law to effect change, practical examples are essential, and these come from research. ‘And we need advocacy to always relay that message,’ Ms Raduba added.
Kgomotso Ramotsho Cert Journ (Boston) Cert Photography (Vega) is the news reporter at De Rebus.
