De Rebus

LSSA pays tribute to Nelson Mandela

In December 2013, the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) and its six constituent members joined the rest of the world in mourning the death of former President Nelson Mandela and celebrating his life and innumerable interventions in bringing true democracy to South Africa. In a tribute press release on 6 December 2013, the LSSA noted:

‘To the world he was an icon, to his family and our nation, a father, but to the attorneys’ profession he was the embodiment of the principles that all in the profession aspire to: Reconciliation, social justice and respect for the values enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

As a profession we are honoured that Mr Mandela chose to serve in our ranks. He, along with Oliver Tambo, opened the first black attorneys’ firm in the country, providing hope and dignity to a people given to despair, leading the way for our current generation of attorneys.’ LSSA Co-chairpersons, Kathleen Matlo-Dlepu and David Bekker, led a delegation of attorneys to represent the attorneys’ profession at the final send-off function for Mr Mandela at the Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria on the morning of 14 December 2013. Legal practitioners wore their gowns and court dress in honour of Mr Mandela having been an admitted attorney in his professional life.

Barbara Whittle, communications manager
barbara@lssa.org.za