By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Women in the legal fraternity commemorated the centenary of the Women Legal Practice Act of 1923, which paved the way for women to join the legal fraternity in the country.
The act was initially promulgated in 1923 and it opened the door for women by decreeing that women shall be entitled to be admitted to practise and to be enrolled as advocates, attorneys, notaries public or conveyancers in any province of the union, subject to the same terms and conditions that apply to men.
In section 1, the statute proclaimed that ‘women shall be entitled to be admitted to practise and to be enrolled as advocates, attorneys, notaries, public or conveyancers … subject to the same terms and conditions as apply to men.’
“It did not take long for women to take active steps to become legal practitioners. The first woman to be admitted as an advocate in South Africa was Irene Geffin in 1923. The first woman attorney was Constance Mary Hall, in 1926.”
“For historic apartheid reasons, it took longer for Black women to join the ranks, with Desiree Finca being enrolled as the first Black woman attorney in 1967,” the Office of the Chief Justice said.
Since 1995, about 55 women judges have been appointed to the Gauteng Division of the High Court, which includes both the Pretoria and Johannesburg high courts.
The commemoration honor these trailblazing women, to reflect on the journey of women in the legal profession, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing the constitutional rights to equality and human dignity, ceremonial sittings will bring together women from legal practice, legal institutions, and the judiciary.
Watch in the video below:
Video Courtesy of JRSA.