Advocates For Transformation| AFT

Equal Voice. Equal Rights.
Every Advocate.

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"The law is not just for the strong and powerful, it is for all
people, regardless of their background or status."

- Nelson Mandela

Advocates for Transformation (AFT) is a movement of Advocates driving change within South Africa’s legal profession. We confront exclusion, discrimination, and unequal representation head-on. Our focus is simple: fairness, equality, and transformation within the profession. AFT works to ensure that all Advocates are represented and that the legal sector reflects the society it serves.

Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Farewell Cocktail & Gala Dinner

On August 30 & 31, 2024, the Advocates for Transformation had the distinct privilege of hosting an exclusive cocktail and dinner...

Advocates For Transformation

Sep 15, 2024

📚✨ Introducing the AFT Academic Support Programme 🎓

In response to the challenges faced by pupils in recent years, the AFT has launched a focused academic support initiative.

The programme centres on practical engagement with past GCB papers, exam technique, strategy and structured feedback. Sessions take place every Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00 at Thulamela Chambers.

✨ Call to Action ✨
AFT members are invited to volunteer as facilitators or markers on Saturdays.

Your time. Your skill. Real impact.

Advocates for Transformation (AFT) and the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA) proudly hosted the Pupils’ Cocktail a meaningful gathering dedicated to guiding, uplifting, and affirming our pupils as they embark on their pupilage journey. ✨

The event created a powerful platform to forge a clear way forward, reminding pupils of the strong support system available to them while wishing them every success in the year ahead.

The day was filled with joy, excitement, and inspiration for the learning, growth, and professional progression that lie ahead in this year of pupilage. Here’s to a year of excellence and becoming the next generation of advocates! 🥂📚

#Pupilage2026 #AdvocatesForTransformation #JohannesburgSocietyOfAdvocates #FutureAdvocates #LegalJourney ProfessionalGrowth

The AFT Mediation Training is officially underway. A powerful day of learning, engagement, and skills-building as we continue to invest in alternative dispute resolution, professional excellence, and practical transformation within the legal profession.

AFT extends its compliments for the New Year 2026.As we step into this year, we are reminded that transformation is not a slogan it is a responsibility.

As referenced in this video, transformation is deliberate. It is structural. It is essential to the credibility, sustainability, and legitimacy of the legal profession.

As 2026 unfolds, may we remain steadfast in advancing meaningful transformation not only in words, but in practice. This requires courage, accountability, and a collective commitment to reshape a profession that must reflect the society it serves.

#LegalProfession
#InclusiveJustice
#AccessToJustice
#YoungLawyers
#BlackProfessional

After the AFT-AGM, we wrapped things up with an amazing closing function hosted at Thulamela Chambers ✨
Here’s a highlight video capturing some of the great moments, and memories from the day.

#AFTAGM #ThulamelaChambers #ClosingFunction #EventHighlights #GoodVibesOnly #CommunityMoments #NetworkingEvents #CorporateEvents #BehindTheScenes #EventLife #MemoriesMade #HighlightReel #InstagramEvents #SAEvents #WorkAndConnect

A message of profound insight and leadership from Honourable Naledi Pandor, shared with the members of Advocates for Transformation. Her words reminded us of our purpose, our responsibility, and the transformative power of principled advocacy.

#NalediPandor
#AdvocatesForTransformation
#AFT2025
#LegalLeadership
#VoiceOfJustice
#TransformingTheBar
#SouthAfricanLaw
#WomenInLaw
#YoungAdvocates
#ConstitutionalDemocracy
#JusticeInAction
#RaisingTheBarSA
#LegalProfessionals
#LeadershipInLaw
#InspiringExcellence
#AdvocacyMatters
#RuleOfLawSA
#FutureOfTheBar
#LegalCommunitySA
#AfricanExcellenc

A compelling look back at the 2025 AFT AGM, where strategic leadership, sharpened vision, and an unwavering commitment to elevating the profession came to life.

The Branch records its sincere appreciation to Ms Carol Wallace, who has served as the administrative backbone of AFT Johannesburg since 2022. Her institutional memory, reliability and organisational discipline ensured continuity across successive committees and contributed directly to the Branch’s stability during a period of accelerated growth.

The Branch further acknowledges Ms Gugulethu Mbuyisa, who joined AFT in 2025. She has provided high-level operational coordination across the Branch, including governance documentation, committee consolidation, event planning, logistical support for the Indaba and major programmes, and coordination of external engagements. Her judgment, organisational sophistication and attention to detail elevated the administrative standard of the Branch materially.

#AFTAGM #AFTLeadership #AFT2025 #BlackProfessionals #LegalProfessionSA #TransformationInLaw #FutureOfTheBar #AdvocatesForChange #SouthAfricanLaw #LegalCommunity

AFT proudly announces the election of its Executive Committee for the 2025 / 2026 term.

Colleagues from across the profession unite at the AFT AGM, committed to excellence, justice and transformation.

AFT Annual General Meeting currently in session.

Honourable Deputy Chief Justice Mlambo delivered a powerful address on transformation at the Bar, emphasising that meaningful change must begin at the grassroots. He highlighted that pupils complete a full year of unpaid pupillage yet still face a further seven-month delay before admission. This prolonged period without income creates a significant barrier for many aspirant advocates who cannot afford such extended financial strain.

He further provided that the AFT must ensure that access to the Bar is an opportunity available to all, not only to those who can afford the wait.

He additionally addressed briefing patterns and stressed that true transformation requires equitable access to work. Briefs cannot continue to circulate within a narrow and racially homogenous group. Without fair access to briefs, opportunities at the Bar remain unequal and the profession cannot claim meaningful progress.

Therefore, as the AFT, our efforts must be firmly directed toward advancing transformation in briefing patterns, ensuring that equitable access to work becomes a reality across the profession.

#AFTAGM #AFTLeadership #AFT2025 #BlackProfessionals #LegalProfessionSA #TransformationInLaw #FutureOfTheBar #AdvocatesForChange #SouthAfricanLaw #LegalCommunity

The day has arrived. The AFT Annual General Meeting is officially in session at JSA The Chambers, 3 Protea Place, Sandton.

Today marks an important moment for our organisation. This AGM is a space to reaffirm our commitment to meaningful transformation within the legal profession. It is an opportunity to reflect, to contribute, and to shape the direction of AFT with intention and purpose. Every member’s presence strengthens our collective voice and ensures that the decisions taken today carry the full weight of our constituency.

All AFT members are encouraged to attend and take part in the work before us. Your participation matters.

#AFTAGM2025
#AdvocatesForTransformation
#SouthAfricanLaw
#LegalProfessionSA
#LawyersOfSouthAfrica
#JohannesburgAdvocates
#SandtonLaw
#LegalCommunitySA
#YoungLegalProfessionals
#FutureOfTheBar

Members of AFT-JHB attended the BLA’s Pitje Memorial Lecture ahead of its AGM. National Chairperson Dewrance SC, delivered a strong message of support and called for a renewed commitment to drive transformation across every firm and every chamber. A call to lift those still struggling to enter the profession and to stand firmly and unapologetically for justice. He reminded the audience that the future of the legal profession is being shaped now and urged all that it be written with courage and the full weight of our collective authority.

#aftjhb #transformationinaction #law #legalprofession

Every voice matters. No more silence. No more violence.

AFT National Chairperson, Myron SC, delivered a message of support at the BLA Gala Dinner —Pitje Memorial Lecture, held tonight, ahead of its AGM. Dewrance SC encouraged members of the profession to leave the AGM with a commitment to lead transformation in every attorney’s firm and every advocate’s chamber. Let us leave with a commitment to lift those still struggling to enter the profession. Let us leave with a commitment to stand unapologetically for justice.

Fees become due upon rendition of the service and shall be paid no later than 30 days after the end of the month in which they have been invoiced. Attorneys must raise any fee dispute within 7 days of invoicing, failing which the invoice shall be deemed accepted. Any fee not paid within 30 days shall be deemed a final debt.

Effective, 1 November 2025.

We have rewritten the rules! The 97-day rule has been officially abolished, effective November 1, 2025, following a resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Thursday, October 25 2025.

Congratulations AFT!

COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE ON 97 DAY RULE: SOUTH AFRICA AND THE WORLD

Across South Africa:

· 30 days – Pretoria, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Bhisho.

· 60 days – Cape Bar, Free State, Eastern & Northern Cape.

· 97 days – Only Johannesburg & Polokwane.

Across the world, independent Bars that share our referral model all expect payment within about a month:

England & Wales
30 days

Ireland
30 days

Australia (Qld/NSW)
30–60 days

Hong Kong
≤ 45 days

Singapore
30 days

AFT moves the adoption of the proposed amendment of the 97 day rule.

Other bars are operating on shorter payment periods than the Johannesburg bar. The Pretoria bar already operates on a 30-day payment period, indicating that nothing prevents the Johannesburg bar from going the same route.

Calling our members to attend the AGM today, 23 October 2025 and join us in taking down the ‘oppressive’ 97-day payment rule, which is only in force at the Johannesburg bar.

Let’s slay the dragon! Away with the 97 day rule.

Advocates For Transformation (AFT), a lobby group championing the interests of previously marginalised advocates, has reignited a 10-year-old battle to take down the ‘oppressive’ 97-day payment rule, which is only in force at the Johannesburg bar.

This rule is widely criticised for financially harming up-and-coming previously marginalised advocates, primarily blacks and women, many of whom end up abandoning the profession to seek safe refuge in alternative full-time employment.

Advocates who support getting rid of the payment system argue that they incur monthly chamber fees, bar fees and living expenses, but their legal consulting fees are paid after 97 days and sometimes longer.

The JSA will hold an AGM on October 23, where a resolution tabled by AFT Johannesburg to end the 97-day rule will be put to a vote by the members of the JSA. AFT Johannesburg is chaired by well-known legal eagle advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC.

Other bars are operating on shorter payment periods than the Johannesburg bar. The Pretoria bar already operates on a 30-day payment period, indicating that nothing prevents the Johannesburg bar from going the same route. The Cape bar operates on a 60-day payment rule.

Furthermore, previously disadvantaged advocates worry that advocates who have amassed enough wealth at the bar will resist change. These are advocates who would have consented to the rule many years ago or those who enjoy regular briefs from attorneys to insulate them from the disastrous consequences of the rule.

‘Gatekeeping’

AFT suggests that a form of “gatekeeping” is at play, hence the retention of a rule that evidently operates to the impoverishment of the JSA’s members.

Read the full article by Andile Ntingi at https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2025-10-17-andile-ntingi-joburg-bar-advocates-seek-to-scrap-oppressive-payment-system/

The full link is also on our bio.

We are pleased to inform members that, at the General Council of the Bar’s (GCB) Annual General Meeting held yesterday, it was resolved that the Tshwane Society of Advocates (TSA) be admitted as a constituent member of the GCB.

After years of exclusion, this development marks a historic milestone in advancing the inclusion and recognition of black practitioners in Tshwane.

Thank you to our members for joining the session and to the organising committee led by Ruth Krüger for their contribution to the success of this event.

On 16 September, AFT hosted a dynamic training session for juniors at Thulamela Chambers. Esteemed experts Henry Martin (Group One) and Tamlynn Caelers-Avis (WMN Attorneys) unpacked the fast-evolving world of adjudication and arbitration, sharing invaluable insights from practice. It was an enriching session that sparked meaningful discussions on the opportunities ahead in this growing field.

Closing off Women’s Month, but never closing off the fight for equality, dignity, and justice.

#mysisterskeeper #wecare

Spotting a woman who inspires you in this post? Tag them and spread the love as we wrap up this women’s month. #mysisterskeeper #wecare

A big thank you to all our speakers for their insights. #mysisterskeeper #wecare

Flashback Friday #mysisterskeeper #wecare

When vision meets action ⚖️ Transforming the legal landscape.

Overview of the Companies Tribunal by Judge Dennis Davis, Chairperson of Companies Tribunal.

The Companies Tribunal and Advocates for Transformation, hosted a seminar on the mandate of the Tribunal. The session provided an important platform to engage on the role of the Tribunal in advancing accessible, affordable, and efficient dispute resolution, while also reflecting on its broader contribution to transformation within the legal landscape.

Sisterhood that Shifts Systems – building
alliances for measurable change. #MySistersKeeper

Launch of the AFT National Women’s Desk – Led by Adv. Kgomotso Nhlape-Merabe & Adv. Hephzibah Rajah #MySistersKeeper

Together we rise, together we protect. 💜 #MySistersKeeper

Celebration and resistance in one breath. #AFT #LSSA #MySistersKeeper

For the women before us, for the girls after us. #WomensMonth2025 #MySistersKeeper

Advocates for Transformation (AFT) and the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) hosts the 2025 Women’s Month High Tea, under the theme: “My Sister’s Keeper”. We are gathering in honour — and in protest. We honour the women who forged a path in the profession. We protest the continued failure to protect girls and Black children from across South Africa, the SADC region, and the continent.

#wecare #mysisterskeeper #advocatesfortransformation #law

Today, AFT-JHB hosted a Revision Workshop for all pupils registered to write the LPC Advocates Admission Examinations in September 2025.

The interactive session, entitled “How to Prepare for and Pass the LPC Exams,” was facilitated by Advocate Nicholas Tee, a respected member of AFT and contributor to the structuring of the LPC exam syllabus.

The workshop provided invaluable guidance on key aspects of exam preparation, including the considerations applied in setting the papers, the scope of study required, what examiners expect from candidates, and insight into the marking system.

This initiative reflected AFT-JHB’s ongoing commitment to supporting aspiring advocates and ensuring that pupils are well-equipped for success in their professional examinations.

Advocates for Transformation National Chairperson, Adv. Myron Dewrance SC calls for a national dialogue for the legal profession and the criminal justice system. He adds that the rule of law in South Africa is going through challenges.

Tune into Newzroom Afrika DStv channel 405 for more.

https://youtu.be/Ematc8OFx8Q?si=iJrdT35kTxcUCje2

AFT honours Acting Deputy Chief Justice Madlanga and extends its gratitude for his service in the legal profession.

AFT’s K Pillay SC spoke on behalf of AFT. She said Justice Madlanga will always be remembered for his practical judgments and that his contribution to South African law will resonate for years to come.

AFT’s D Chabedi SC spoke on behalf of Legal Practice Council. She said Justice Madlanga’s immense contribution to the legal profession and the Judiciary will always be remembered.

AFT’s SG, K Nhlapo-Merabe, spoke on behalf of General Council of the Bar at the ceremonial sitting that was held at the Constitutional Court today, in honour of Acting Deputy Chief Justice Madlanga. She highlighted Acting Deputy Chief Justice Madlanga‘s commitment to justice throughout his tenure on the Bench.

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Equal Voice. Equal Rights. Every Advocate.

"The law is not just for the strong and powerful, it is for all people, regardless of their background or status."

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Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Farewell Cocktail & Gala Dinner

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Equal Voice. Equal Rights.
Every Advocate.

"The law is not just for the strong and powerful, it is for all
people, regardless of their background or status."