SOS Mamelodi Children's Village Outreach 2015
On the 29 May 2015, the Constitutional Tribunal embarked on our first outreach activity at the SOS Mamelodi Children’s Village. All geared up in our tekkie tax stickers, we assembled in front of the Roosmaryn and were all ready and set to change the lives of these children for the better. Little did we realise that it would in fact be our lives that were about to be changed.
Upon our arrival at SOS Mamelodi Children’s village, we were warmly welcomed by caring and friendly staff. We were treated to a violin performance by one of the students – an incredibly talented young man. At our cheers for an encore, the student continued to play his beautiful music, inspiring some of our braver colleagues in the Tribunal to show case their dance moves.
After having a tour of the village, the staff members rallied the children together as the Tribunal was met with curious eyes wondering why we were there. The Tribunal also handed over our donations of stationary, books, soccer balls and clothes. From here, the day is really a bit of a blur. The excitement was in the air the entire afternoon.
The day progressed with face painting done by the Constitutional Tribunal – as both artist and canvas. Various ball games were played such as netball and soccer. We handed out party packs and oros and just spent the day de-stressing with so much joy around us.
We had some concerns about how to engage with all the different ages, but the older students were extremely receptive. They engaged with us in deep philosophical thoughts about the society that we live in and what our positions and responsibilities are as the youth of South Africa. They enlightened us with their perspectives and different viewpoints about life. They also expressed an interest in continuing to learn skills such as writing CVs.
With so much joy and happiness hanging around us, we left the SOS Mamelodi Childrens Village completely content – all the smiles and laughs of all the students had made a huge impact on our lives, more than they will ever know.
For that, we are truly grateful
Tamryn Gorman
YASCOM Charity Drive 2015
On Tuesday the 8th of September 2015 the Constitutional Tribunal partook in the Jaskom charity drive hosted by the University of Pretoria.
Jaskom is an initiative started by UP to help students in need on campus. This initiative was started when UP staff became aware of a student who lived on campus. He would sleep in lecture halls because he couldn't afford transport home. He mapped out and timed the routes that the guards walk at night in order not to get caught.
The initiative was in the form of a food drive, where a pyramid would be built out of all the food collected and donated for these students. These items will be used in future to assist these students
The Constitutional Tribunal donated tinned food as well as samp and mielie meal. Usually we participate in charity events outside of the University, but as we all know, charity starts at home and UP is a home to many.
Bernadette Schoeman
Tribunal Outreach to Mercy House 2015
On the 23rd of September, the Constitutional Tribunal visited Mercy House. This is a place of safety for women who and children who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and is run by the Sisters of Mercy.
The purpose of this visit was to inform the women of any legal recourse, remedies or protection they may be entitled to, and to inform them of free legal aid, which can be obtained through various university law clinics and legal aid board offices. We also wanted to remind them that people care and that people want to help. To facilitate this process we took along ‘care packages’ containing body wash, perfumed body spray, body lotion, nail polish and various other treats to make the ladies feel beautiful and special.
During this visit, we were fortunate to have the women open up to us, tell us their stories and learn their concerns. The intersection between the theoretical and procedural side of law and the real life concern and experiences of the women was powerful. Both sides of the interaction benefitted as the women learnt that they are not alone and that they can obtain the help that they need and we learnt that our legal knowledge can be used to reach out to peoples’ lives and make a real, tangible difference even though we are still students. During the week of the recess, I saw the fruits of our visit in that one of the women present at our visit actually came to the University of Pretoria Law Clinic to make an appointment.
The future plan for this outreach is that we want to build a relationship with Mercy House. The establishment has a constant influx of new women who also need to know that they have rights and remedies in the law and that there are places to enforce these rights for free. As members of the tribunal who are graduating this year, we are passing the baton onto new members to build and sustain this relationship and to create new partnerships where our knowledge can translate into real solutions for members of the community. As members of the tribunal who are graduating this year, we will take our experience with us into the profession always remembering that the law is a tool, which we can use to achieve social justice.
Natalie Slabbert
Tribunal cake sale for 'GIVE WHAT YOU CAN' initiative 2016
SDAP-ConTri Social- March 2018
The Constitutional Tribunal enjoyed an evening with the Student Disciplinary Advisory Panel (‘SDAP’) at our social event with them on Thursday the 22nd of March, 2018. The social was aimed at fostering a good working relationship between the SDAP and the Constitutional Tribunal and set a smooth tone between the two bodies of student governance for the 2018 term and, hopefully, beyond.
The social event was facilitated by the SDAP Student Governance Liaison together with the Constitutional Tribunal’s SDAP Liaison, and was held at the Law Faculty cafeteria within the University’s Hatfield Campus. The night was filled with games, music, laughter, presentations, and other valuable exchanges. As the Constitutional Tribunal, we gave a short presentation about the functions and role of our body and listened to the SDAP as they shed light on the functions and role of their own body. There were valuable exchanges about the relationship between the SDAP and the Constitutional Tribunal, including the possibility of future collaborative projects.
The night ended on a lighter note with a game of 30 seconds, positive vibes, and good food.
Mpho Mogadime
MERCY HOUSE OUTREACH VISIT 2018
This year, the global focus has been centered around women and their plight towards equality. Therefore, the Constitutional Tribunal felt it only fitting to visit Mercy House on 18 May. Mercy House, run by the Sisters of Mercy, is a place of safety for women who are victims of abuse and human trafficking.
The Constitutional Tribunal organized for hampers to be given to each of the women staying in Mercy House. The purpose of our visit was to lend a hand wherever we could, with our donations, and with any basic legal advice we could offer. We were greeted with massive smiles and tea by the Sisters of Mercy, and we are truly grateful for the major contribution these women make to ensure the safety of others.
The residents of Mercy House were a bit skeptical of sharing their stories, however, each woman wished to share their stories on an individual basis, so each Judge was able to interact on a personal level with each of the women. The stories shared by the women were heart-wrenching and came as a shock to those of us from very privileged and sheltered homes. We were able to provide advice regarding procedural aspects of the law, as well as refer the women to the University’s Law Clinic if they needed further legal advice.
The mood in the bus on the way home was quite somber as each of the judges were able to reflect on the reality of the situations many women in South Africa face. We ended our day with a visit to the Union Buildings, and the statue of Nelson Mandela. Seeing the statue offered us some comfort to remember how far South Africa has come, but the stories of the women still reveal how much further we need to go.
We hope our relationship with Mercy House will grow even stronger in the future, because it is pertinent that as Judges and law students, we spread our knowledge of the law and use it to uplift those who are in need of help.
Rebecca Hill
Faculty Festival 2018
On the 17th of August the Constitutional Tribunal hosted a waffle stand at the annual law faculty festival. The theme of the festival was “the year of the womxn” so we thought it fitting to name two of our waffles after leading women in law. Our rich chocolate waffle was named in honour of our newly appointed Deputy-Dean Professor Kuschke and our classic “golden girl” waffle was named after Professor Thuli Madonsela. Our third “rainbow waffle” was named in honour of our Chief-Justice Antonie Klopper. Our initiative was to match every waffle sold with a donation of a sanitary product to Law House. The day was a huge success
and we ended up donating 70 sanitary products. It was great to once again be involved in the Law Faculty Festival and we look forward to future involvement.
Emma Bleeker
SDAP-ConTri Disciplinary Workshop
Given the number of cases heard by the Disciplinary Committee (Students), students’ lack of awareness of the University’s disciplinary procedures and their own rights in terms of such procedures, the Constitutional Tribunal together with the SDAP hosted a student governance workshop aimed at raising awareness about the University’s rules and regulations on disciplinary matters and the Constitution for Student Governance (‘CSG’).
Both the Constitutional Tribunal and the SDAP gave presentations regarding the significance of their role with in student governance in general, and in the University’s disciplinary procedures in particular. Among those who were present were representatives from the Department of Student Affairs, TuksRes, and the University’s Legal Services.
The Chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee (Students), who is a representative of Legal Services, addressed students on the functions and nature of the Disciplinary Committee (Students), as well as the type of cases heard by the Committee. The TuksRes representative did likewise from the perspective of disciplinary hearings concerning matters arising in student residences.
The workshop presented a valuable opportunity for students to engage with the relevant representatives of various bodies that are involved in the University’s disciplinary procedures and be enlightened about the role of student governance structures therein.
Mpho Mogadime
WETNOSE OUTREACH VISIT 2019
On the 13th of April 2019, the Constitutional Tribunal of the University of Pretoria paid The Wetnose Animal Rescue Centre a visit. Wetnose is “right-to-life” animal shelter, taking care of over 600 furbabies.
The purpose of this visit was to participate in the great course of taking care of pet-animals “any man’s best friends”, and to reassure animal centres such as Wetnose (totally dependent on Donations and Volunteers to keep going) that their quest to foster animals is worthy of continuation, particularly because animals form an important part of the environment and in balancing the fauna-and-flora ecosystem which ultimately affects all living beings.
During the visit, the Judges of the Constitutional Tribunal donated pet-friendly food such as fruits; veggies and Bobtail dog food. Moreover, the Judges spent 2 hours walking and playing with the dogs. Wetnose encourages Volunteers to walk the dogs because this is good for the dog’s mental stimulation; exercise; training and despite the fact that dogs generally like engaging with people and the environment, such an activity is in fact beneficial to their own health.
After spending the day at Wetnose, all the Judges commonly agreed, that the experience at Wetnose was nothing short of Fun and Happiness – an act of kindness that left all the Judges completely content with themselves.
Simon Mothsweni
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