Saslaw the South African Society for Labour Law

SASLAW PRO BONO NPC www.saslawprobono.co.za

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

Introduction

SASLAW Pro Bono NPC was established in November 2013. The bank account was opened in February 2014, and the operational side of each of the offices has continued to run well as can be seen in the statistics attached. The Financial statements of the NPC for the period since establishment to 28 February 2015 will be presented at the 2015 meeting of members.

Membership of SASLAW Pro Bono NPC The Memorandum of Incorporation of the Company provides for voluntary membership open to each SASLAW member. Membership of the non-profit company may be acquired simultaneously when membership of SASLAW is acquired. For existing SASLAW members, on renewal of membership for 2014 members will be requested to indicate their election. Members of the non-profit company shall not be required to pay any fee or subscription either to SASLAW or to the NPC in relation to membership of the NPC and membership remains entirely optional. SASLAW Pro Bono NPC is in the process of securing registration as a Public Benefit Organisation. Currently there are 156 members of the NPC.

Public Benefit Organisation The NPC has an application with SARS, currently, to register as a public benefit organisation. As soon as this status has been attained, vigorous fund raising will take place.

Amicus Curiae In consultation with the NPC directors, Adv Greg Fourie ran a pilot project in relation to a more formal establishment of the utilisation of amicus in the court. After discussion with the Judge President of the Labour Court it was agreed not to pursue the initiative on this basis. The NPC is grateful to Adv Fourie for his considerable and continued efforts in this initiative and in the project as a whole.

Fund raising efforts

1 The Gauteng chapter hosted a cocktail party in March 2014 at the Saxon Hotel. The honourable Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr John Jeffery officially launched the NPC, and addressed the 67 delegates. Judges, advocates, attorneys and other high profile members of the labour law fraternity were present. R100 000 was raised for the NPC.

The Eastern Cape chapter held a family fun day in March at Adv Kroon’s home. 22 people attended the event and R5400 was raised.

The annual KZN chapter ladies event took place in August 2014, at the Hilton Hotel. 85 ladies attended the event, and R8000 was raised for the project.

Thank you to the Chapter administrators for their hard work in organising the events, and securing the sponsorship.

An annual donation has been received by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc of R30 000, and from Anton Myburgh SC of R10 000. Anton has further very generously agreed to cede the royalties of a book he is publishing with Craig Bosch on Labour Law reviews, to the Pro bono project.

The remaining balance of the budget required has been secured as a donation from SASLAW.

National Pro bono statistics Please see the statistics document attached.

The project could not function with the participation of the attorneys who staff the office. The commitment and passion and devotion have been overwhelming. Similarly, the dedication and professionalism of the administrators who manage the advice office is very much appreciated.

Partnerships

The NPC project values the relationships it has with the Law Society of the South Africa, the provincial Law Societies, Legal Aid South Africa and Pro bono.Org. Together this project has proven to be one of the most successful pro bono projects in the country. This year the Directors of the NPC have had meeting with

 Judge Weiner of the High Court  The Department of Labour  The Law Society of South Africa’s Pro bono committee

2  The Law Society of South Africa’s Labour committee  Thompson Reuters  CCMA  Nedlac

The Directors are grateful to the four Labour Courts personnel and the Judges for their support of the project.

Eastern Cape Chapter pro bono report

The project is running well because of the commitment of the administrator, Charlie Scholtz, the attorneys involved and the excellent support from the Registrar and her staff. Put differently, social justice is done and not seen to be done because of the commitment of each person involved in the project.

Gauteng Chapter pro bono report The chapter would like to thank Disemelo Tlali for her hard work in the pro bono office over the last year, often in difficult circumstances. Thank you to the 165 attorneys who participate in the project. Their dedication, support and professionalism are what keep the project going. Thanks must go to the advocates who have increased their participation this year, by taking on an increasing number of cases, and representing the clients in court as required.

KZN Chapter pro bono report The advice office in Durban continues to render services to a steady stream of clients and they are taking steps to make potential clients more aware of the office and its services. The chapter is busy preparing the launch of the NPC.

Western Cape chapter pro bono report

Despite numerous challenges such as fewer participating attorneys, limited infrastructure and the ongoing renovations at the Court, the past year has seen a record number of clients receive assistance at the Labour Court. The launch of the NPC in Cape Town is scheduled for 20 November 2104. The chapter is hard at work planning this event and at the same time excited about the possibilities it holds for the future of the project. The Chapter wishes to acknowledge and thank Bowman Gilfillan Inc for agreeing to host and cover most of the costs of the launch. Central to the success of the project will be the ability to build partnerships with key role-players such as the Cape Law Society, Legal Aid and the Department of Justice. The chapter is committed to establishing firm foundations on which to build a sustainable project.

3 The NPC expresses its gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the pro-bono project. This includes the judges of the Labour Court, the Registrar and court officials. Thank you for making access to justice a reality.

Nick Robb for the Directors 12 September 2014

______T: 011 431 1237 | P.O. Box 4858, Cresta, 2118 | www.saslawprobono.co.za Reg. No: NPC/2013/192122/08 | Directors: Richard Maddern, Nick Robb, Shamima Gaibie