Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
27 March 2024 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Sonia Small
Human Rights 18 March 2024
Vanessa Rose September, Chair of the Albie Sachs Trust, hands over donated books to Prof Serges Kamga, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State.

Echoing the words of Nelson Mandela, Prof Francis Petersen, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Free State (UFS), emphasised the profound significance of human rights. “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity,” he said during his opening address at the Human Rights Celebration held by the UFS Faculty of Law on 18 March 2024.

Acknowledging the pivotal role played by stalwarts such as Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs and Sir Sydney Kentridge, Prof Petersen delved into the strides made since the inception of South Africa’s contemporary constitution.

Underlining the university’s unwavering commitment to human rights, Prof Petersen added, “For universities, it remains critical that every aspect of academic life is viewed through the lens of human rights. The principle of equality lies at the centre of our purpose and operations.”

Furthermore, Prof Serges Kamga, Dean of the Faculty of Law, highlighted the institution’s vision encapsulated in Vision 130, striving to produce graduates who embody excellence and contribute to societal transformation.

Panel discussion: Sir Sydney Kentridge’s enduring legacy

Former Justice Zak Yacoob, renowned for his tenure at the Constitution Court of South Africa, paid tribute to Sir Sydney Kentridge in a panel discussion focusing on Kentridge’s contributions to human rights both nationally and internationally.

Reflecting on his personal experiences working alongside Sir Kentridge, Justice Yacoob highlighted the practical essence of human rights advocacy. He recounted Sir Kentridge’s seminal role in shaping the constitutional court’s early judgments, particularly emphasising the incorporation of human dignity into the constitutional framework.

Justice Yacoob’s insights shed light on the profound impact of Sir Kentridge’s jurisprudence on society, particularly in shaping notions of dignity, equality, and freedom. “The contribution he made was absolutely amazing. He wrote the first-ever judgement delivered by that court in April 1995. It was the first judgement that brought forth the issue of human dignity and its importance.”

Joining the discussion were esteemed panelists including Honourable Madam Justice Yvonne Mbatha and Dr Adri Du Plessis, who provided expert commentary on Sir Kentridge’s contributions to the legal fraternity. The discussion was moderated by Prof Elsabe Schoeman, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria.

Honouring legal icons

Vanessa Rose September, Chair of the Albie Sachs Trust, presented books donated by the trust. The biography titled Arthur Chaskalson: A life dedicated to justice for all chronicles the life of Chaskalson, a towering figure in South Africa’s legal landscape.

Emeritus Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs delivered a thought-provoking lecture, pondering the question of whether there is cause for celebration on the 30th anniversary of human rights in South Africa.

With a rich history of activism and legal scholarship, Justice Sachs reflected on the evolution of South Africa’s judiciary and the enduring legacy of the Constitutional Court. Despite acknowledging prevailing challenges, Justice Sachs remained optimistic, citing the country’s constitutional framework as a beacon of hope and progress. “There’s lot to be angry about, there’s lots to complain about, there’s lots that has to be renounced, but there’s lots to celebrate. We’ve got a country, we’ve got a constitution, we’ve got rights, we’ve got instruments that we can use,” he said.

In conclusion, the Human Rights Celebration served as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for dignity, equality, and justice, reaffirming the university’s steadfast commitment to upholding these fundamental principles in academia and beyond.

News Archive

UFS’s Unit for Children’s Rights instrumental in helping human trafficked victim
2010-03-29

Adv. Beatri Kruger.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
“Wheeling and dealing is part of our daily life. But what if the ‘product’ bought or sold is not a spanner or a cell phone, but a living human being? Disturbing news came to the fore... apart from other places in the country, and for that matter all over the world, it was discovered that people are treated like commodities here in Bloemfontein as well,” said Adv. Beatri Kruger from the Unit for Children’s Rights at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Adv. Kruger was instrumental in completing and availing the first comprehensive Research Report on Human Trafficking in South Africa to the public on 23 March 2010. As a member of the Reference Group advising on interim research reports on human trafficking, she contributed to the report. The report proves to be an extremely valuable tool for, among others, government departments and non-governmental organisations that use it as a guideline in planning interventions to combat human trafficking.

The Unit for Children’s Rights is also one of the founding members of the Free State Human Trafficking Forum (FHF). To react on and fight the disturbing reality of human trafficking more efficiently, a number of concerned role players such as Child Welfare and other non-governmental organisations, police officials, prosecutors, social workers, health practitioners, private businesses, churches and community organisations joined forces and formed the FHF. The Unit for Children’s Rights hosts monthly meetings at the UFS to facilitate the coordination of this multi-disciplinary counter-trafficking team.

Adv. Kruger is very excited about some of the successes of the FHF; such as the story of Soma (not her real name). This Indian woman was recruited in India by an Indian couple who are staying in South Africa, by promising her a good job in South Africa. However, instead of finding the promised job, Soma was extensively exploited for labour purposes. With the help of a “good Samaritan” she managed to escape from the perpetrators and fled to the police. Soma was removed to ensure her safety and accommodated in a safe place in Bloemfontein. Counselling and other services were rendered to her by an organisation which is also a member of the FHF. One of the challenges facing Soma and the service providers was that Soma speaks a foreign dialect and for weeks a trusted interpreter could not be found.

This obstacle rendered communication with her to the bare minimum. The perpetrators were arrested but unfortunately the new comprehensive counter-trafficking law is not in force yet. Therefore the perpetrators could only be convicted of some offences in the Immigration Act. However, due to good police investigation followed by shrewd consultations, the perpetrators agreed to pay for the victim’s return flight to India as well as for the flight ticket of the investigating officer to escort her to safety. The Unit for Children’s Rights did networking with Ms Maria Nikolovska of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), who agreed to assist in the safe reintegration of Soma in India. Soma is now on her way back home.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept